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The Executive Talk: Do Day Dream PCL (SET:DDD)

indie
9 minutes

BANGKOK, Feb 4, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - Do Day Dream PCL (SET:DDD) Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Piyawat Ratchapolsitte discusses the company's strategy and outlook in The Executive Talk (TET) by ShareInvestor.com.TET: What is the current business model and outlook?Apart from the beauty products business that has been growing continuously, we have added new businesses to enhance product variety and diversify risks. In 2018, a subsidiary; Dream Dermatology Co., Ltd. was established to engage in distributing a cosmetic dermatology brand Oxe'Cure that was acquired from Well Grow Med Co., Ltd. We have executed marketing activities and rebranded the product to improve the business gradually. Meanwhile, we have always been on the lookout for new opportunities to add to the portfolio. At the beginning of 2020, we expanded to the beauty equipment business, with the acquisition of shares of Kuron Co., Ltd. who owns the brands Lesasha and Sparkle.For Lesasha, the hair styling equipment brand, it is considered the leading hair equipment brand in Thailand, earning us higher revenue contribution from Thai customers, given the fact that the majority of users are Thai people, compared to skin care...

SeaPRwire

Alibaba offers few answers as crackdown uncertainty persists

elean
2 minutes

HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) - Alibaba Group Holding offered investors few clues into how the regulatory crackdown on Jack Ma's tech empire will impact its future growth after reporting a stronger-than-expected 37 per cent increase in quarterly sales. The e-commerce giant has established a special taskforce to conduct internal reviews and is actively communicating with antitrust regulators on complying with their requirements as investigations continue, Alibaba said on Tuesday (Feb 2). It's also unable to make a complete assessment of how the ongoing "rectification" of affiliate Ant Group will affect its business, according to the statement. The stronger-than-expected earnings may be overshadowed by an ongoing antitrust probe that has already wiped more than US$130 billion (S$173 billion) off the e-commerce giant's value since its October record. Uncertainty began in November when regulators first torpedoed Ant Group's record initial public offering, then launched their investigation into the online retailer. Alibaba's stock has dropped 13 per cent since Ant's aborted debut, the worst performance on Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index. The shares in New York fell 3.9 per cent. "Ant Grou...

ACN Newswire
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Two Immigrants, One Unique Plan For A Biopharma

indie
21 minutes

HONG KONG, Feb 2, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - The American Dream is why the United States is considered the "land of opportunity," and why for centuries immigrants have flocked to our shores seeking their fortunes. Guo-Liang Yu, Ph.D., (China), and Sanjeev Redkar, Ph.D., (India), came to the U.S. in the 1980s. By anyone's reasonable measure, both have achieved the American Dream. However, their dream as scientists remained at arm's length. Their desire? Create a pharmaceutical company that leverages the best of what the U.S. and China have to offer toward discovering and developing new oncology therapeutics, while using the smallest drug development program possible to do so. This is the story of how the scientific careers of an intrapreneur (Redkar) and an entrepreneur (Yu) came together to cofound and co-lead Apollomics.Guo-Liang Yu, Ph.D., (China), and Sanjeev Redkar, Ph.D., (India), came to the U.S. in the 1980s. By anyone's reasonable measure, both have achieved the American Dream. However, their dream as scientists remained at arm's length."The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each accor...

SeaPRwire

Combating the COVID-19 Remains Top Priority and Biggest Challenge for the Indian Government in 2021

pandora
3 minutes

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the Indian government has not been able to contain the situation and cumulative total of confirmed cases crossed a ten million threshold, there are nearly 160,000 confirmed cases at present, while cumulative number of deaths broke the 150,000 mark, and the number of patients is still climbing on a daily basis. Yet, even with such dire circumstances at home, the Modi administration does not appear to have taken any emergency measures, instead concentrating attention on external conflicts. Since August 2020, there have been countless reports of rampant infections among Indian air, land and maritime freight crews, some of which were sent back to India, while others are quarantined locally. There was even an Indian airline that was ordered to suspend all operation due to suspicion of fabricating negative COVID-19 test result. To a certain extent, the Indian government's incapacity to suppress the coronavirus on its soil is inevitably turning the country into a hot bed for the virus to both spread among its people and elsewhere across the globe. Ever since Narendra Modi took office as Premier of India, he has endeavored to expand India's glob...

SeaPRwire
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Man, 28, on trial for murder of four-year-old stepdaughter

aseanpr
2 minutes

SINGAPORE - A 28-year-old man went on trial on Tuesday (Feb 2) for killing his four-year-old stepdaughter, allegedly after he became angry at her for urinating outside the toilet bowl. Muhammad Salihin Ismail is accused of causing fatal injury to the girl, Nursabrina Agustiani Abdullah, some time between 9am on Sept 1, 2018, and 9.40am on Sept 2, 2018, at a flat in Bukit Batok. He faces the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted of murder. Salihin also faces two other charges for acts of violence against the girl. All the alleged offences took place between July 2017 and September 2018. The High Court heard that the girl came into his care after he was released from the Singapore Armed Forces detention barracks in February 2017. "Within a year and a half she was dead," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Senthilkumaran Sabapathy. The court was told that Salihin's wife is in prison and will be testifying as a prosecution witness. The two other charges have been stood down for now, after defence lawyers objected to Salihin being tried on the non-capital charges together with the capital murder charge. Salihin is accused of causing hurt to the girl between July and October 2017 at ...

SeaPRwire
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S’pore wants to grow manufacturing base, attract top players

elean
3 minutes

Singapore is working to grow its strong manufacturing base and attract top players to anchor their operations here, said Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing yesterday. Manufacturing remains a key pillar of Singapore's economy. Building on its existing strengths in the sector, the country aims to expand its capacity and capabilities in emerging areas of growth, such as biomedical science, agri-tech, urban mobility and sustainability. Mr Chan told the media after a visit to biotech firm Illumina that with leading firms in the industry setting up operations - and growing - here, good job opportunities will be available for Singaporeans. Since Illumina set up in Singapore in 2008, it has not only increased its production capacity here but also helped to grow the ecosystem of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, he added. Mr Chan said the firm is the kind of manufacturing leader that Singapore wants to attract. Illumina has 1,300 staff here, producing specialised products. These include about 95 per cent of global demand for microarray bead chips and 85 per cent of global core sequencing consumables - equipment used in diagnosing medical conditions. "This is what we mea...

SeaPRwire

SPH, GfK to debut biennial study measuring S’pore media consumption

elean
3 minutes

Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) has partnered market research company GfK to conduct a new biennial study on media consumption, using a novel single-source approach that combines survey data with digitally collected data. Commissioned by SPH, the study will focus on a more consumer-centric and single-source panel to give a refreshed view of how audiences consume media. It aims to understand the "changes to the audience profile with the proliferation of multiple media platforms, products and formats, with insights that will go beyond just reach and frequency", said SPH in a press statement yesterday . The study will be released in two waves of data that track audience behaviour and changes. SPH is targeting to release the first integrated report, which includes the use of print, radio and digital, in June. A second integrated report is scheduled for release at the end of the year. Some 3,000 individuals will be selected for each of the main surveys to provide data on their print and radio habits. This will be combined with digital data collected by GfK and SPH to result in a broader picture of media consumption. Meanwhile, GfK will offer the industry its own software solution to prov...

SeaPRwire
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Company Briefs: Grab

elean
2 minutes

Grab South-east Asian ride-hailing giant Grab Holdings said yesterday that it has closed a US$2 billion (S$2.7 billion) loan facility, up from the original US$750 million. The term loan was upsized after strong interest from investors, Grab said, adding that the interest margin rate was lowered by 100 basis points from the original launch guidance. Structured as a five-year term loan B, this makes it the largest term loan B facility in the Asian technology sector. The loan would be used to finance corporate activities and diversify its financing resources. THE BUSINESS TIMES Asos British online fashion group Asos has bought brands including Topshop from collapsed retail giant Arcadia, administrators said yesterday, under a deal which could put 2,500 jobs at risk. Administrator Deloitte said that Asos has sealed the purchase of key brands Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT for £330 million (S$603 million). However, the deal will not include retail stores and therefore casts a shadow over the future of 2,500 jobs, according to a source. About 300 employees across design, buying and retail partnerships will transfer to Asos, Deloitte added. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE HNA Group China's...

JCN Newswire
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Hitachi Launches ‘Hitachi Industrial Edge Computer CE series Embedded AI model’

ruth
4 minutes

TOKYO, Feb 1, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501) has announced the launch of "Hitachi Industrial Edge Computer CE series Embedded AI model", that was developed in collaboration with Intel Corporation. The product, an integration of Intel's AI technology and Hitachi's highly reliable control system design and manufacturing technologies, is a new model that incorporates an image analysis execution platform using AI and deep learning. Through providing this product, Hitachi contributes to the expansion of digital transformation, such as streamlining and automating tasks that rely on visual checks (the inspection process for finished products in the manufacturing industry) and solving management challenges using on-site data.Recently, the manufacturing industry and other industries have needed to urgently respond to intensified competition and increased complexity in the global market. Moreover, companies are facing many challenges, such as the need for the improvement of on-site work efficiency and the development of a new generation of expert workers, so they are implementing a digital transformation using IoT, AI, and other digital technologies. This trend has been ac...

SeaPRwire
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Proposed restrictions to safeguard contact tracing data will override all other laws: Smart Nation office

aseanpr
5 minutes

SINGAPORE - Proposed changes to the law to restrict the use of contact tracing data in criminal investigations to serious crimes will override all other laws. This means that public agencies cannot cite other laws to compel the use or disclosure of the personal data except for contact tracing in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic or for investigations into only serious crimes, such as murder and terrorism. The contact tracing data that the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) (Amendment) Bill protects includes the proximity data of nearby users of contact tracing devices, the places that people visited and their personal information such as their names, identification numbers and contact details. The Bill was introduced in Parliament on Monday (Feb 1) by Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on a Certificate of Urgency, which means that the proposed law is urgent enough to be put through all three readings in one parliamentary sitting, instead of separate sessions. Dr Balakrishnan, who is Foreign Minister, is also Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative, and introduced the Bill on behalf of Law Minister K. Shanmugam. The Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO) said in ...

SeaPRwire
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GameStop: US senators call for action against hedge funds as Wall Street braces for more market mayhem

elean
5 minutes

WASHINGTON (AFP, REUTERS) - Progressive US senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren called on Sunday (Jan 31) for action against what they said were the Wall Street abuses by hedge funds revealed by the recent frenzy over GameStop shares. "We need an SEC investigation," Ms Warren told CNN, referring to the federal Securities and Exchange Commission. "What's happening with GameStop is just a reminder of what's been going on on Wall Street now for years," the Democratic senator said. "It's a rigged game, and it's been a set of players who come in and manipulate the market." Amateur investors who organised over Reddit and other online forums have in recent days targeted shares of companies including GameStop that had been "short-sold" by hedge funds in a bet that the price of the shares would fall. The Reddit group's tactics caused massive spikes in share prices. The SEC said on Friday that it was "closely monitoring and evaluating the extreme price volatility of certain stocks' trading prices" and would "act to protect retail investors when the facts demonstrate abusive or manipulative trading activity that is prohibited" by federal law. But Ms Warren called for more decisive act...

SeaPRwire
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Singapore retail investors to vote on fate of struggling shipping firm PIL

elean
4 minutes

SINGAPORE (BLOOMBERG) - Creditors to distressed Singapore shipper Pacific International Lines will vote on Monday (Feb 1) on a restructuring deal that involves a capital injection from a unit of Temasek Holdings. It's an important day for investors who oppose the plan like Singapore businessman Kuah Ann Thia, an unsecured noteholder - the most vulnerable in the bond world. He and other individual investors hold parts of PIL's $60 million security that came due in November but which the shipper hasn't repaid. Mr Kuah had initially felt relief last year when he heard that the Temasek unit was providing a US$600 million (S$798 million) package comprising debt and equity to PIL. But he said he became worried when he saw the company's restructuring plan. Under the so-called scheme of arrangement, it could be at least five years before unsecured noteholders saw actual cash payments, according to presentation materials. In contrast, some secured lenders like banks could get payments for their claims subject to the company having sufficient excess cash. PIL said in May last year it received an in-principle approval from a majority of its financial lenders, constituting 97.6 per cent of the...

SeaPRwire
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HDB launches new app for shoppers at Oasis Terraces in Punggol

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Those who buy from shops at HDB shopping complex Oasis Terraces in Punggol can now use an app to redeem points that can be exchanged for items such as parking credits and gifts as part of a pilot initiative. They can also use the app, ShopperLink, to access a comprehensive directory that lists the shops and services that are available in the mall, view products and services offered by retailers, as well as find out about ongoing events and programmes at the mall. "This will help heartland retailers to transform their business models, keep pace with the evolving retail landscape, and provide more personalised services to shoppers," said the Housing Board in a statement on Sunday (Jan 31), adding that the move to roll out the app was made in response to feedback gathered from heartland retailers in 2019. Another app, RetailerLink, will complement the ShopperLink app. HDB shops can upload their product and service offerings on the app, and use a chat function to respond to customers' inquiries, among other things. New functions will eventually be added, said the HDB, such as those that enable shop owners to book event space and access reports on sales data. So far, about 9...

SeaPRwire
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How to make your resume stand out when applying for a job in a new sector

elean
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Here's what a Workforce Singapore career coach says: A resume is a space for you to communicate your story and it is the employer's first impression of you. Whether you are applying for a job with or without experience, it is crucial to ensure that your resume provides what the prospective employer is looking for. The first thing to do when you decide to apply to an industry in which you have no work experience or prior training is research the industry and the different job roles, their scopes and the skills that are required for each role. You should also take stock of the transferable and marketable skill sets you have that will enable you to stand out from other job seekers. This will be especially helpful when you start crafting your resumes and customising them to the role and company that you are applying to. As a prospective newcomer to the industry, you should portray yourself as being agile and willing to learn new skills and adapt to new working environments. Here are more resume tips from the career coach: • As many employers use an "applicant tracking system" software to filter resumes, it is important to tailor your resume using keywords that match the job...

SeaPRwire

Don’t let new variants deter you from getting vaccinated: Experts

aseanpr
6 minutes

New variants of the virus that causes Covid-19 have recently caused some concern that they may evade the immune response induced by existing vaccines, but there is no evidence yet of this occurring, said experts here, urging people not to hesitate over getting vaccinated. "Existing vaccines work against the virus variants circulating in the community, so people should continue to step up to receive the vaccine," said Professor Benjamin Seet, deputy group chief executive for education and research at the National Healthcare Group and a member of the expert committee on Covid-19 vaccination. "The more people who are vaccinated, the more who will be protected against current variants and, likely, new variants as well." Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, began mutating soon after it was discovered. The new variants that were first identified in Britain (B117), Brazil (P1) and South Africa (B1351) appear to be more contagious. In pre-emptive moves, vaccine developers are preparing to modify their vaccines against these variants. "There is no immediate cause for concern, as these new variants have not been shown to cause more serious illness," said Prof Seet, who chairs an exper...

SeaPRwire
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Two men in Singapore charged with cheating and forgery in Covid-19 funds ruses

aseanpr
2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Two men were charged in court on Friday (Jan 29) with forgery and cheating-related offences in their attempt to receive monies from the Covid-19 Support Grant (CSG) and the Temporary Relief Fund (TRF). In a statement, police said a 43-year-old man was charged after he allegedly attempted to cheat the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) into disbursing funds from the CSG. He is said to have falsely declared in his application that he had lost his job due to the pandemic. "He is also alleged to have submitted a forged retrenchment letter and provided additional false information to MSF to support the false declaration in his CSG application. "MSF did not approve his CSG application," said the police. The grant supports those who had lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 situation, as well as employees placed on involuntary no-pay leave for at least three consecutive months and employees who have had their salaries reduced by at least 30 per cent for three consecutive months. These changes must have taken place after Jan 23 last year. Under the scheme, workers receive up to $800 a month for three months if they meet the job loss or no-pay leave criteria. The othe...

SeaPRwire
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GameStop plunge wipes out US$11 billion as platforms curb trades

elean
5 minutes

NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG, REUTERS) - GameStop snapped a dizzying six-day rally to wipe out nearly US$11 billion (S$14.6 billion) in market value on Thursday (Jan 28) after moves by brokerages to curb trading of the stock on their apps whipped up volatility and enraged the company's retail fanbase. The stock plunged 44 per cent during regular trading hours after Robinhood Markets, Interactive Brokers Group, E*Trade Financial and others took steps to curtail activity in several high-flying stocks, including GameStop and AMC Entertainment Holdings. The video-game retailer on Thursday triggered 19 volatility halts on its way to shedding more than twice what it was worth on Monday. Volume also fell, with about 55 million shares traded by Thursday afternoon, a far cry from Friday's record of 197 million. But in the latest turn of the GameStop roller-coaster, its shares surged 34 per cent in after-hours trading on Thursday after Robinhood said it would allow its customers to resume trading on the company. The earlier trading curbs resulted in howls of outrage on Reddit's WallStreetBets forum, which has been the launching point for many of this week's blistering rallies, and Robinhood was hit b...

SeaPRwire
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Apple, Facebook score with pandemic-hit consumers

elean
3 minutes

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Apple and Facebook on Wednesday (Jan 27) delivered stunning gains in profits and revenues over the past quarter, in the latest sign that Big Tech is delivering for pandemic-hit consumers around the world. Blowout quarterly updates from the two Silicon Valley giants highlighted how consumers increasingly relied on social media, digital services and gadgetry as they hunkered down for the global health crisis. Apple said profit in the holiday period rose 29 per cent from a year ago to US$28.7 billion (S$38.2 billion), while revenues grew 21 per cent to US$111.4 billion, with international sales accounting for nearly two-thirds of sales. Sales topped the US$100 billion mark for the first time as Apple won over pandemic-hit consumers with new gadgets and services, reporting solid gains in sales of iPhones, wearables and digital content. "We're gratified by the enthusiastic customer response to the unmatched line of cutting-edge products that we delivered across a historic holiday season," chief executive Tim Cook said. The news was similar at Facebook, which saw its global user base increase in a world roiled by the coronavirus outbreak. Facebook reported profit of...

SeaPRwire
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Ant IPO could resume once issues resolved: China’s central bank

elean
2 minutes

BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) - Ant Group could resume its plans for an initial public offering once problems are resolved, China's central bank chief said, offering some relief to global investors seeking signs on what the future holds for the world's largest fintech giant. People's Bank of China Governor Yi Gang said relevant agencies are still investigating issues related to monopolies at Alibaba billionaire Jack Ma's Ant Group, adding that the matters were "complicated" and some risks were related to consumer privacy. To resolve the problems, regulators need a clear legal framework, Mr Yi said on a panel at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday (Jan 26). "I would say that this is a process and also once the problem solved, it will go back to the track to continue consideration according to law," Mr Yi said in English. Chinese regulators are asking Ant to work on a timetable to overhaul its business after abruptly halting its US$35 billion (S$46.4 billion) IPO in November. The fate of Mr Ma's sprawling fintech empire remains uncertain after China issued a slew of draft rules that threatened to curb growth for some of Ant's most lucrative businesses. The message from Mr Yi is the latest sign...

ACN Newswire
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UK Advertising spend to recover faster than key international markets in 2021

indie
4 minutes

LONDON, Jan 26, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - The latest Advertising Association/WARC Expenditure Report expects the UK's ad market to grow by 15.2% this year, an upgrade of 0.8 percentage points from the last forecast in October 2020. The preliminary estimate for growth in 2020 now stands at -7.9% with adspend of GBP 23.17bn - a marked improvement (+6.6 percentage points) since the last outlook owing mostly to brighter prospects for online platforms.The new forecasts show that the UK's ad market will make up for 2020's decline and accelerate further into growth this year, reaching a total of GBP 26.69bn - above the previous high of GBP 25.37bn recorded in 2019. Further, the decline seen in the UK's ad market during 2020 is estimated to be softer than the global rate (-10.2%) and that of the rest of Europe (-13.7%). The UK's projected ad market growth in 2021 is also expected to be ahead of key international markets, with the US expected to grow 3.8%, Germany 9.3%, Europe (excluding UK) 8.8%, and China 10.3%.Internet adspend leads to stronger Q3 2020 performanceThe latest dataset includes actual figures for Q3 2020 and predictions for the coming eight quarters. The key findings show that...