Month: November 2021

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Upstream oil, gas industry will support affordable energy availability

The upstream oil and gas industry will continue to support the availability of affordable energy supplies and create economic growth in Indonesia, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, has said.

Indonesia still relies on oil and gas as the primary sources of energy and raw materials, he noted adding, even gases with low emissions can replace coal.

“Preparations need to be made so Indonesia can continue to support economic growth with the available and affordable energy,” he stated during an oil and gas convention in Badung, Bali, on Tuesday.

The oil and gas industry has an important role in increasing and creating a multiplier effect for downstream industries, such as fertilizers and petrochemicals, he explained.

Last year, the government provided support by regulating gas prices in specific industries to make them competitive so that many downstream sectors could export their products, he said.

“We need to appreciate the policy and hope the upstream and downstream activities of oil and gas will develop, so they will not only contribute to state revenues but also have the effect of creating jobs and encouraging the macroeconomy,” he added.

“For this reason, increasing production by 1 million barrels of oil per day and also 12 billion standard cubic feet of gas in 2030 is a challenge that needs to be made into a roadmap,” Minister Hartarto said.

Meanwhile, deputy chairman of Commission VII of the House, Maman Abdurahman, said legislators support oil and gas exploration and exploitation activities through the Oil and Gas Bill.

The Oil and Gas Bill is targeted to be ratified into law at the latest by the end of 2022, he added.

“The Bill must be realized soon because this is big,” Abdurahman remarked.

According to him, oil and gas production has continued to decline every year in contrast with the increasing consumption rate in Indonesia.

He said he expected the ratification of the Oil and Gas Bill in 2022 to boost state revenues and meet domestic energy needs amid a global shift towards clean energy.

Source: Antara News

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Papua police probe use of village funds for terror activities

Papua police investigators are still probing the likelihood of village funds being used to finance the activities of Papuan separatist terrorist groups, including the one led by Temianus Magayang in Yahukimo district.

“Temianus Magayang (25) is the head of Sesepne village in Kelamdua sub-district, Yahukimo district (Papua province),” the chief of Papua Police’s Criminal Investigation Directorate, Sen.Coms. Faizal Rahmadani, said.

Magayang, who sustained gunshot wounds, is currently undergoing treatment at the Jayapura police hospital, he informed. Therefore, Papua police investigators are yet to question him, he said in a statement that ANTARA received here on Tuesday.

Temianus Magayang is not only the head of Sesepne village but also the commanding officer of a Papuan separatist terrorist group operating in the Yahukimo district, he informed.

After the police hospital’s doctors confirm his full recovery, he will be grilled on whether village funds were used for financing the armed group’s activities, Rahmadani said.

He allegedly joined the armed group along with Senat Soll and Erik Pahabol under Elkius Kobak’s leadership in Nduga district, he said, adding that police have accused him of crimes in the past.

He has been accused of the murder of a staff member of the General Elections Commission (KPU)-Yahukimo Office, Hendrik Jovinski, on August 11, 2020, Rahmadani added.

ANTARA has earlier reported how Yahukimo is one of the Papua districts that have remained vulnerable to acts of terror perpetrated by Papuan separatist terrorists.

On August 27, 2021, the Nemangkawi Task Force said its personnel had arrested EB, the head of Wusama sub-district, along with 15 members of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) and separatist terrorist groups operating in Yahukimo.

Of the 15 detainees, five were allegedly involved in several acts of terror and murders in the district, it said. Their victims included police and military personnel as well as civilians, it added.

On August 23, 2021, the Nemangkawi Task Force successfully saved several construction workers from PT Indo Mulia Baru who were being held hostage by Papuan separatist terrorists in Dekai, Yahukimo district, officials said.

The security personnel managed to nab the terrorists led Ananias Yalak alias “Senat Soll”, they informed.

Source: Antara News

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Aceh police thwart attempt to distribute 100 kg of crystal meth

Aceh provincial police have thwarted an attempt by a drug-trafficking syndicate to distribute 100 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in Indonesia and arrested three suspected members of the syndicate.

“They were supposed to circulate crystal methamphetamine to Aceh, North Sumatra, and several areas in Indonesia,” chief of the Aceh provincial police, Inspector General Ahmad Haydar, informed on Tuesday.

The three suspects are members of the Indonesia-Malaysia international drug syndicate, he added.

Police uncovered the case after receiving a tip from the public, he said. A joint team of personnel from the Drug Detective Directorate of the Aceh provincial police and the Drug Detective Unit of the Bireun district police later arrested one of the suspects, identified by his initials as MB, he added.

MB was arrested on the Banda Aceh-Medan highway section in Matang Glumpang Dua village, Bireuen district, he said. However, police found no drugs from MB, he added.

During interrogation, MB confessed that his younger brother, identified by his initials as S, who has now been put on the wanted list, kept crystal meth at the house of one Z, alias Dun Kribo, in Ie Rhop village, Bireuen, Haydar said.

“The joint team later conducted a search at Z’s house and seized a bag containing five packs of crystal meth. The suspects were apprehended and (the crystal meth) was seized as evidence for further investigation,” he informed.

The provincial police chief warned local residents against smuggling, serving as couriers, or trafficking drugs.

The seizure of 100 kilograms of crystal meth means that the police saved 500 thousand people, he said.

“Being a drug trafficker is not a job. This amounts to killing the younger generation. We will take stern measures against anybody involved in drug trafficking in Aceh,” he affirmed.

Source: Antara News

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Vietnam Airlines Begins Regular Commercial Direct Flights to the United States

 Vietnam Airlines

The inaugural flight, No.VN98, from Ho Chi Minh City to San Francisco

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Nov. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vietnam Airlines, the fastest-growing carrier in Southeast Asia, today announced the success of the first direct flight to the United States, fulfilling a key development milestone of the Vietnamese flag carrier.

The inaugural flight, No.VN98, from Ho Chi Minh City to San Francisco, carried passengers on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, one of the most advanced-technology airplanes of the Vietnam Airlines fleet.

This historic flight signifies an important development of Vietnam’s aviation and Vietnam Airlines as the country’s first airline to conduct regular commercial direct flights to the U.S.

It recognizes the 20-year-effort of Vietnam Airlines since the establishment of its representative office in San Francisco to lay the foundation for direct route between the two countries.

“Vietnam Airlines was so proud of being the country’s first airline to conduct the charter flight to the U.S. more than a year ago to welcome compatriots back to the homeland. Today, we are pleased to announce the success of the inaugural commercial direct flight to the U.S., marking a new milestone for Vietnam Airlines and Vietnam’s aviation,” said President & CEO of Vietnam Airlines Le Hong Ha.

“We are honored to be the first airport in the U.S. to offer nonstop regular flights to Vietnam. We are proud to offer a world-class experience with seamless access throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and grateful to Vietnam Airlines for making San Francisco their first U.S. destination,” said Director of San Francisco Airport Ivar C. Satero.

Initially, Vietnam Airlines will conduct 2 flights per week from Ho Chi Minh City to San Francisco by Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, the two most modern wide-body aircrafts.

The airline aims to increase to 7 flights per week after the Covid-19 pandemic is under control and plans to open a new route to connect Los Angeles to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

About Vietnam Airlines:

Vietnam Airlines – a member of SkyTeam Alliance – is the flag carrier of Vietnam and the major carrier in the South East Asia, operating 95 routes to 22 domestic and 29 international destinations with an average of 400 flights per day. Skytrax – the world’s leading airline and airport rating organization – has ranked Vietnam Airlines as a 4-Star Airline for four consecutive years.

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7591ba77-2286-479a-bb64-b43fe983f5ac

public-relations@vietnamairlines.com
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Lack of resolution mechanisms allow palm oil conflicts to fester in Indonesia

Published by
Mongabay

JAKARTA — Indonesia has no effective mechanism for resolving its epidemic of land conflicts between rural communities and palm oil companies, according to a new study. Indonesia is the world’s top producer of palm oil, but the industry’s rapid expansion has fueled deforestation and allegations of land grabbing throughout the archipelago nation. The study, produced by Dutch and Indonesian academics in collaboration with six Indonesian NGOs, is billed as the first-ever systematic documentation of a large number of land conflicts in the Southeast Asian country. Researchers analyzed 150 cases in f… Continue reading “Lack of resolution mechanisms allow palm oil conflicts to fester in Indonesia”

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Philips extends AI-enabled CT imaging portfolio at RSNA 2021

November 29, 2021

  • New CT 5100 – Incisive – with CT Smart Workflow applies artificial intelligence* (AI) at every step in the CT imaging process to help customers meet financial, clinical, and operational goals
  • AI-enabled Smart Workflow is designed to streamline image acquisition and workflows, enabling more patient-centric care
  • Philips’ industry-first Tube for Life guarantee minimizes lifetime operating costs and provides reliability to help ensure efficient operation

Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Chicago, USA – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced new additions to its CT imaging portfolio at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting (November 28 – December 2, Chicago, USA). The new CT 5100 – Incisive – features CT Smart Workflow [1], a comprehensive suite of artificial intelligence* (AI) enabled capabilities designed to accelerate CT workflows, enhance diagnostic confidence, and maximize equipment up-time, helping imaging services to enhance patient outcomes, improve department efficiency, reduce operational costs, and meet ambitious financial objectives.

CT 5100 – Incisive – with CT Smart Workflow [1] includes Philips’ Tube for Life guarantee, which over the lifetime of the scanner can potentially lower operating expenses by an estimated USD 420,000 [2][3]. This newest CT innovation from Philips also provides access to Philips’ Technology Maximizer program, which provides users with the latest software and  hardware updates as they are released.

“With the combination of CT 5100 – Incisive – and CT Smart Workflow, we have embedded AI into the tools that radiology departments use every day so they can apply their expertise to the patient, rather than unnecessary distractions associated with the CT imaging itself,” said Frans Venker, General Manager of Computed Tomography at Philips. “By automating many of the process-related obstacles to CT imaging performance, we aim to clear the way for precision in dose, speed, and image quality that will help imaging departments to meet their financial, clinical, and operational goals.”

Improving the CT experience with smart clinical decision-making CT 5100 – Incisive – with CT Smart Workflow adds to Philips’ growing suite of AI-enabled smart workflow solutions, including the recently launched MR 5300 1.5T system and the new MR 7700 [4] 3.0T system. These recent smart systems introductions are all designed to support efficiency improvement, operator consistency, and diagnostic confidence at the point of image acquisition by automating many of the time- consuming procedural tasks that radiologists, technicians and staff traditionally had to perform manually.

CT Smart Workflow is the latest in a continuous program of performance enhancements for Philips’ market-leading Incisive CT platform, which includes a newly-designed patient table to accommodate bariatric patients; OnPlan gantry controls that demonstrate a 19% [5] reduction in time to results; and the company’s process improvement services Enterprise Performance Analytics – PerformanceBridge. The CT 5100 – Incisive – with CT Smart Workflow demonstrates how integrated, AI-driven solutions connect clinical intelligence and operational data across the radiology enterprise to advance precision diagnosis and treatment.

Philips’ latest innovations in CT imaging will debut at this year’s Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Annual Meeting (November 28 – December 2, 2021, Chicago, U.S.). Join Philips at RSNA 2021 where the company will spotlight its new advanced technology driving connected workflows and smart diagnostic systems, including the CT 5100 – Incisive – with CT Smart Workflow, to increase efficiency and diagnostic confidence in precision care, and follow @PhilipsLiveFrom for updates throughout RSNA.

[1] CT Smart Workflow pending 510(k). Not for sale in the USA
[2] Life of the product is defined by Philips as 10 years. Tube for Life guarantee availability varies by country. Please contact your local Philips sales representative for details
[3] Actual operating costs for customers vary significantly because many variables exist (such as CT make and model, hospital/ imaging center size, case mix, system usage). The potential savings identified estimates the avoidance of purchasing replacement tubes over a 10-year useful life of a CT system, based on an average selling price of $140,000 per replacement tube and estimated tube life of 3 years. There can be no guarantee that all customers will achieve this result. Tube for Life guarantee availability varies by country
[4] Pending 510(k) clearance. Not available for sale in the USA
[5] Based on a study Performed at Oz Radiology Group, Queensland, Australia. Results from case studies are not predictive of results in other cases.  Results in other cases may vary
*According to the definition of AI from the EU High-Level Expert Group

For further information, please contact:

Kathy O’Reilly
Philips Global Press Office
Tel: +1 978 221 8919
E-mail: kathy.oreilly@philips.com

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and well-being, and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum – from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2020 sales of EUR 17.3 billion and employs approximately 78,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

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LTO Network and FIA Formula 2 Driver Ralph Boschung Lead Motorsports Into the Metaverse Using NFT2.0 Technology

Dutch blockchain LTO Network and Formula 2 driver Ralph Boschung of Campos Racing, have partnered to showcase LTO Network’s recently unveiled NFT2.0 technology.

Featured Image for LTO Network

Featured Image for LTO Network

AMSTERDAM, Nov. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Formula 2 team Campos Racing‘s Ralph Boschung and Amsterdam’s LTO Network announce a sponsorship and partnership that will use NFT2.0 technology to bring the driver and his car to the metaverse, the first deal of its kind in the motorsports world.

After a chance meeting in Monaco, LTO Network CEO Rick Schmitz and the driver hailing from Switzerland soon realized they share a vision that empowers up-and-coming motorsports athletes with the ability to connect with fans in new and interesting ways while opening up revenue streams that support athletes in the costly and highly competitive journey of a career in motorsports.

NFT2.0 is the name of LTO Network’s newest technology, which makes NFTs more exclusive and valuable by providing asset holders with true possession of their digital assets that are called “ownables”.

The partnership will allow LTO Network to make 3D NFTs of the driver and his car to be used in metaverse games and experiences.

“We are excited to support this promising young star. Together we will lead the race to the metaverse,” said Rick Schmitz, CEO of LTO Network.

“The team at LTO Network and I clicked immediately and I look forward to helping push the envelope for what athletes can achieve for their brand and careers,” said Ralph Boschung of Campos Racing.

About LTO Network

The LTO Network team is on a mission to create and maintain a fully decentralized and highly efficient blockchain infrastructure, directly applicable and aimed at creating value for organizations. LTO Network can be used by any company with a need for a production-ready blockchain that allows for digital verification of digital assets and enabling collaboration through the use of decentralized workflows.

About Ralph Boschung

Ralph Boschung is a Swiss racing driver currently competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship for Campos Racing – the main feeder series to the pinnacle of motorsport, Formula 1. He is a race winner in the GP3 Series and has previously competed in Formula 2 from 2017 to 2020, for Campos, MP Motorsport and Trident.

Stay up-to-date with LTO Network –

Twitter | Telegram | Reddit | YouTube
Facebook | Instagram | Linkedin | Github

Media Contact

LTO Network – Press & Media Relations
press@ltonetwork.com

Ralph Boschung – Press & Media Relations
contact@pole.uk.com

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Virtusa Signs Strategic Collaboration Agreement with AWS to Help Global Enterprises Get the Full Value of Cloud Investments

The collaboration will establish a dedicated Virtusa AWS Business Group with an added focus on strategic global accounts, ISV modernization and a solution enhanced Professional Services relationship

SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass., Nov. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  Virtusa Corporation today announced that they are extending their Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) to empower global organizations to unlock more value, efficiency and profitability via cloud-based services.

Virtusa has been a participant of the AWS Partner Network (APN) for more than ten years and today’s announcement builds upon that success. The AWS Partner Network (APN) is the global community of partners using AWS to build solutions and services for customers. AWS has millions of active customers and a dynamic community of over 100,000 partners from more than 150 countries.

Underlying this agreement will be the creation of a joint business group to help clients more quickly move their processes, applications, and data to the cloud. The Virtusa AWS Business Group (VABG) brings together dedicated professionals from each company with expertise in cloud solutions architecture, development and managed cloud operations coupled with industry consulting and domain expertise.

The two companies will focus on three additional growth initiatives under the SCA. These three initiatives will accelerate cloud adoption for global and multi-national enterprises, expedite ISV (High-Tech software companies) cloud modernization and growth and broaden Virtusa’s long-standing partnership with AWS’s ProServe organization with a focus on vertical solutions.

Accelerate cloud adoption: Global and multi-national enterprises typically have operations in multiple countries, complex buying requirements, and significant growth potential. Many of them are challenged by technology buying decisions which usually occur in a regional or federated operating model. Those factors make it challenging to balance global efficiencies and economies of scale while also leveraging the innovations happening across their organization.

Virtusa has been working with AWS to help businesses overcome these challenges and accelerate transformation efforts globally. The two companies are currently working across multiple global accounts in targeted industries. As part of this agreement, Virtusa and AWS will create a dedicated team focused on expanding named Global Fortune 500 accounts with an initial focus in the industries where Virtusa has deep expertise: Financial Services, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Media & Entertainment, and Telecommunications.

Virtusa and AWS will provide customers with several significant benefits:

  • A dedicated global account team
  • Access to an AWS Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE)
  • Cloud foundation migration assets
  • Industry frameworks for Cloud Native application development

“We are seeing worldwide enterprises face a skills shortage at a time when they need to move faster than ever before to capture new and emerging opportunities for growth,” said Cam McNaught, Director, AWS Partner Core at AWS. “As a global organization with over 30,000 engineers, Virtusa has the scale, industry expertise, cutting edge engineering skills, and customer intimacy to accelerate the cloud journey of our customers. We are confident that this collaboration extension will help deliver significant differentiated value and strategic innovations for our mutual customers.”

Expedite ISV modernization and growth: As businesses embrace SaaS-based operating models, leading ISVs require extensive support and expert product builders to create next-generation platforms. Legacy systems are holding many ISVs back from capitalizing on new business initiatives – with many turning to application modernization to remove these obstacles. Virtusa and AWS provide comprehensive cloud modernization services and commercial incentives to help ISVs quickly remove these barriers to growth.

Virtusa specializes in AWS migrations and implementing custom modifications that ensure smooth integration with a customers’ existing infrastructure. As a result, ISVs can accelerate product innovation and rollouts while also improving overall operations. Under the agreement, the two companies will provide end-to-end Cloud modernization services to help ISVs create, adopt, accelerate, and optimize SaaS based solutions using AWS.

As part of this effort, both companies will provide a comprehensive set of consulting and technology services to support ISVs in migrating the client base to AWS public and hybrid cloud-based services. This program will operate globally and be initially targeted at ISVs within select industries, including Banking & Insurance, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Telecommunications, Media & Technology.

“Virtusa is our global technology partner who has helped us design, build and now manages technology operations for our IoT & Data Analytics platform, which operates across multiple AWS public cloud services,” said Eric Martinez, CEO of Modjoul, an ISV focused on worker safety automation. “Both Virtusa and AWS are deeply trusted partners who we rely heavily on to both run and scale our business.”

Enhanced ProServe agreement with a vertical solution focus: Virtusa and AWS are expanding their existing Professional Services to put an emphasis on driving greater business outcomes in specific industries and accounts from co-sell through delivery. The companies will provide vertical industry solutions created by Virtusa and running on AWS, including Virtusa’s Open Innovation Platforms for Banking and Financial Services, Healthcare and Life Sciences, and Telecom and Media industries.

As part of this agreement, Virtusa has committed to the establishment of a dedicated AWS focused co-sell and co-delivery function exclusively to support the end customers looking to partner with Virtusa and AWS ProServe. Virtusa brings deep industry expertise to AWS customers across primary industries.

“Virtusa and AWS are helping businesses by providing the skills, expertise, tools, and accelerators to build strategic cloud platforms as well as to more systematically close the skills gap and remove that as a barrier to growth,” said Santosh Thomas, CEO of Virtusa. “The work builds on the tremendous success over the past ten years and is designed to enable companies to innovate faster, operate more efficiently, establish new markets, and grow revenue.”

The journey to the cloud comes with many challenges. Legacy applications, getting consensus, and technical debt are only some of the roadblocks enterprises face with modernization. Virtusa helps enterprises overcome complex cloud adoption challenges, at any stage of their journey.

By migrating on-premises applications to AWS, enterprises are accelerating the speed of innovation and managing scale, agility and significantly lowering the cost of operations. Virtusa’s AWS Migration competency, award-winning migration framework, and unique AWS Migration Workbench, coupled with experience in large-scale migration programs, enables more than 30% productivity gains.

A foundation for growth

Today’s announcement builds upon a decade of successful collaboration between Virtusa and AWS. Together, the two companies have established a robust set of solutions and services to help companies realize the total value of the cloud.

Virtusa is a Premier Global Consulting partner with relevant competencies in Migration, DevOps, Data & Analytics, SaaS, Digital Workplace, Financial Services, Life Sciences and Healthcare. Over the past ten years, Virtusa has worked with AWS to build an award-winning platform for migrating application and data workloads to AWS services. Virtusa has taken these services and customized them to include the support for ISVs in migrating their platforms and reengineering them in the process.

To learn more about Virtusa’s AWS partnership and services visit: https://www.virtusa.com/partners/aws

To learn more about Virtusa’s Open Innovation Industry Platforms running on AWS cloud visit:
Banking & Financial Services: https://www.virtusa.com/solutions/open-banking
Healthcare & Life Sciences: https://www.virtusa.com/solutions/vlife
Telecommunications & Media: https://www.virtusa.com/solutions/icomms

About Virtusa
Virtusa Corporation is a global provider of digital business strategy, digital engineering, and information technology (IT) services and solutions that help clients change, disrupt, and unlock new value through innovation engineering. Virtusa serves Global 2000 companies in Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare, Communications, Media, Entertainment, Travel, Manufacturing, and Technology industries.

Virtusa helps clients grow their business with innovative products and services that create operational efficiency using digital labor, future-proof operational and IT platforms, and rationalization and modernization of IT applications infrastructure. This is achieved through a unique approach blending deep contextual expertise, empowered agile teams, and measurably better engineering to create holistic solutions that drive business forward at unparalleled velocity enabled by a culture of cooperative disruption.

Virtusa is a registered trademark of Virtusa Corporation.  All other company and brand names may be trademarks or service marks of their respective holders.

Contact:
Matt Berry
Conversion Marketing
matt@conversionam.com
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