China gives long-awaited approval to Boeing 737 MAX after crashes

Published by
AFP

New York (AFP) – Chinese authorities approved the Boeing 737 MAX to resume service on Thursday, according to a government directive seen by AFP, removing a major uncertainty surrounding the American aviation giant’s comeback after a lengthy slump. The move by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) sets the stage for the jet to return to airline schedules in the country in 2022, following months of negotiations between Beijing and Boeing. Shares of Boeing rocketed after the decision, which also clears the way for it to deliver more than 100 MAX aircraft to Chinese carriers that were … Continue reading “China gives long-awaited approval to Boeing 737 MAX after crashes”

Novavax says it could start making Omicron-specific vaccine in January

Published by
Reuters

(Reuters) – Novavax Inc said on Thursday it could begin commercial manufacturing of a COVID-19 vaccine tailored for the Omicron coronavirus variant in January next year, while it tests whether or not its current vaccine works against the variant. Laboratory data expected in the coming weeks will show whether antibodies from individuals who have previously received Novavax’s COVID-19 shot can neutralize the variant, according to the company. Novavax also said it has started developing an Omicron-specific spike protein antigen and will begin laboratory tests of a new vaccine to target the varian… Continue reading “Novavax says it could start making Omicron-specific vaccine in January”

oVice Announces Business Partnership With Zoom Video Communications, Inc.

A variety of video options are now available in the virtual office: oVice

oVice, Inc. Partners with Zoom Video Communications, Inc.

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — oVice (Headquarters: Nanao City, Ishikawa, Japan, CEO: Jung Sae-Hyung, https://ovice.in) has recently agreed and signed a business partnership with Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (Headquarters: California, US, CEO: Eric S. Yuan), the provider of the Zoom video communication platform. This partnership will allow oVice’s customers to seamlessly access from its service platform to a Zoom meeting without having to move from one tool to another.

  • Background of the Alliance

In response to the new coronavirus outbreak and the need to renew the work-life, various “ways of working” are being explored as a new norm. Telework, which eliminates the need to go to a physical office, is becoming a more common way of working.

A virtual space “oVice”, has been used as a virtual office in telework environments by many companies, local governments, and educational institutions, with more than 10,000 users achieved in 1 year since its launch.

Despite oVice being equipped with a video meeting function, many online meetings with non-oVice users are held using Zoom (due to a larger user base). oVice, Inc. has received many requests from users to integrate Zoom, thus the company decided to form a partnership.

oVice has joined Zoom’s ISV Partner Program and will be able to provide services and solutions powered by Zoom that will support hybrid work styles.

  • Benefits of Zoom Integration

With the Zoom integration, oVice users can now have a seamless meeting from oVice without having to move between both tools. They will also have the ability to view which users are in which Zoom meeting, making it easier to shuffle between multiple Zoom meetings at once. This will also encourage more interactive collaboration between users.

  • Comments on the Alliance From Representatives of Both Companies

Paul Magnaghi, Global ISV Partner Program Leader, Zoom Video Communications, Inc.:

“We are excited to have oVice join our ISV Partner Program. Zoom has been partnering with multiple virtual office and virtual events solutions through the ISV Partner Program. Having oVice join us from Japan is great news for our international expansion. We look forward to providing a better online meeting experience to oVice’s customers through this partnership.”

Sae Hyung Jung, Founder & CEO, oVice, Inc.:

“oVice has been used as a virtual office for many companies, but these companies use Zoom for web conferencing, and many have asked for service integration. Through this partnership, we hope to make it possible for many people to work online comfortably, and to create an environment that will encourage hybrid work styles in the future.”

  • Future Prospects

oVice is a two-dimensional virtual space where people interact as avatars and can freely move on the web and easily talk to others by bringing their avatar closer.

Since its launch in August 2020, oVice has been used on more than 10,000 occasions.

Featuring a wide variety of use cases, including virtual offices for telework, online event spaces, and virtual campuses for education, etc., an increasing number of companies have connected their virtual spaces into “buildings” where employees from the entire company work.

In order to further develop as a “virtual real estate” company, oVice will not only acquire more users and raise awareness in remote work, but also develop technology that can be used comfortably in hybrid work and work with third parties to enhance the scalability of the service.

  • Contact

Public relations: media@ovice.co

Related Images

Image 1: oVice, Inc. Partners with Zoom Video Communications, Inc.

oVice, Inc. providing virtual spaces for effective remote communication announces a business partnership with Zoom Video Communications

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Freshworks Helps 7-Eleven Improve its Omnichannel Customer Experience

7-Eleven resolves its Philippine customer and partner support tickets faster by using the modern automations of Freshdesk

SAN MATEO, Calif. and MANILA, Philippines., Dec. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Freshworks Inc. (NASDAQ: FRSH), a leading software company empowering businesses to delight their customers and employees, has helped leading global convenience store 7-Eleven create a more delightful digital experience for its customers and franchise partners in the Philippines. Using Freshdesk® and Freshdesk Contact Center, 7-Eleven automates and more quickly resolves queries to deliver the same in-store conveniences to their regular customers and online shoppers.

Philippines Seven Corp (PSC) has been the pioneer of 24-hour convenience stores in the country with over 3000 branches. Since launching in the Philippines in 1982, 7-Eleven has been fueled by a desire to bring convenience like never before to its customers. They chose Freshdesk in 2019 to extend this philosophy to its omnichannel customer support.

With Freshworks, 7-Eleven was able to consolidate all of its customer support into one platform. The customer care team that handles the general store and payment queries and the CLiQQ group that handles queries related to the 7-Eleven Loyalty program now use Freshdesk. As a result, 7-Eleven now has a unified control center for its customer and partner experiences in the Philippines.

“With the rise of social media use in the Philippines, we’ve witnessed a high demand for support requests on the same channels,” said Aeruh Dimalanta, Customer Care Specialist at 7-Eleven. “We got Freshdesk up and running in minutes and it helped us automate over 100,000 requests last year with easy to use automations on a platform that’s intuitive for our agents.”

Freshdesk’s easy to launch automations and pre-delivered social integrations create a more delightful work experience for the 7-Eleven customer support specialists like Aeruh. Nearly all support requests received are resolved automatically and with over 95% SLA attainment. The improved customer experience has helped 7-Eleven in the Philippines retain and grow its customer base, as well as increase the downloads of the 7-Eleven CLiQQ app.

“Freshdesk and its contact center are built to scale for consumer brands like 7-Eleven,” said Prakash Ramamurthy, Chief Product Officer at Freshworks. “We pride ourselves with the ease of use of Freshdesk for support agents and are thrilled to see the business benefits that result from a better customer experience.”

Find out more about how 7-Eleven chose Freshworks and overcame customer experience challenges here.

About Freshworks

Freshworks makes it fast and easy for businesses to delight their customers and employees. We do this by taking a fresh approach to building and delivering software that is affordable, quick to implement, and designed for the end user. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, Freshworks has a dedicated team operating from 13 global offices to serve 50,000+ customers including Bridgestone, Chargebee, DeliveryHero, ITV, Klarna, Multichoice, OfficeMax, TaylorMade and Vice Media. For more information visit www.freshworks.com.

© 2021 Freshworks Inc. All rights reserved. Freshworks, Freshdesk, Freshservice and the associated logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Freshworks Inc. All other company, brand and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Media Contact:
Jayne Gonzalez
pr@freshworks.com

Virtusa Introduces CIO Appointment

Company Announces Chief Information Officer to further strengthen Leadership Team

SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass., Dec. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Virtusa Corporation, a global provider of digital strategy, digital engineering, and IT services and solutions that help clients change and disrupt markets through innovation engineering, today announced yet another key leadership appointment.

As a company with a history of providing clients worldwide with industry expertise and deep digital engineering precision, Virtusa is excited to build on that commitment to excellence by announcing Ramaswamy P V as our new Chief Information Officer. Ram P has 28 years of experience in the IT industry as a digital transformation leader, having most recently served as the Senior Vice President and Head, Enterprise Application and Digital Transformation at HCL. In his new role at Virtusa, Ram P will lead the IT driven business transformation.

“I am excited to welcome Ram P to the Virtusa family. His appointment adds further strength to an already accomplished leadership team at Virtusa, and his industry experience and acumen will be an important factor in our future growth and success for both our customers and our employees,” said Santosh Thomas, CEO of Virtusa.

The appointment of Ram P as CIO comes shortly after Virtusa recently announced key Senior Leadership positions including CEO-Global Markets and Industries, CFO, and CTO, further extending the company’s vision, leadership, and reputation as a top employer.

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 innovative 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 the 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

Brunswick Exploration Aquires Prospective Tin Properties in New Brunswick

MONTREAL, Dec. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Brunswick Exploration Inc. (“BRW” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that is has acquired multiple claims throughout New Brunswick, totaling 6,527 hectares, located in southeastern and central New Brunswick, collectively known as the Caledonia Tin and Catamaran Tin projects (“Properties”). The Properties were acquired by claim staking and are located roughly 30 kilometers south of Moncton and 15 kilometers west of Doaktown, respectively.

Mr. Killian Charles, President of BRW, commented: “We have chosen the most prospective tin targets across New Brunswick based on till geochemistry, proximity to existing tungsten-tin deposits and favorable geology. It is important to note that New Brunswick is host to North America’s largest undeveloped tin deposit. Tin fundamentals are incredibly strong with spot prices recently reaching historical highs due to export curtailments in Indonesia. Tin remains the best performing metal in 2021 with forecasted demand expected to remain very strong, so we are excited to launch a tin exploration program in a highly prospective and stable Canadian jurisdiction.”

Prospectors have begun working on the properties and we will continue with Phase 1 reconnaissance prospecting along with a soil sampling program in Q2 2022. Compilation work included the creation of a Tin Favourability Factor (“TFF”) using multi-element Sn, W, Mo, As, Be, Bi, Cs and base metal concentrations in the regional government till geochemical data base. The TFF allowed the Company to highlight areas of tin potential across the province. The generated targets from the TFF were comparable and, in several instances, better than anomalous tills taken in the vicinities of the Burnt Hill and Sisson Brook Deposits.

Tin Fundamentals

Included in Canada’s List of Critical Minerals in 2021, tin is predominantly used as an alloy for solder in electronics and superconducting magnets. The spot price of tin has risen over 200% since January 2021 and reached a record price of US$40,680/tonne earlier this month. With demand for smart devices and electronic components expected to continue growing over the coming years, coupled to the phasing out of traditional lead solders, tin demand is expected to remain elevated with forecasted growth in excess of 7% in 2021, according to the International Tin Association. Importantly, tin supply is very precarious, being largely dependent on environmentally difficult alluvial mining in Indonesia and southeast Asia. Recently, Indonesia announced significant restriction to tin exports by 2024, highlighting the need for safe and sustainable production in North America.

Caledonia Tin Project Overview

The total Property comprises 3 claims and 109 units with a total surface area of 2,450 hectares. The Caledonia Project is located roughly 30 kilometres south of Moncton and roughly 7 kilometers west of Hillsborough. Government of New Brunswick till samples were taken at roughly 2-kilometer spacing and are underlain by Carboniferous sediments as well as sediments, granites, granodiorites and volcanics from the Neoproterozoic. The Project is also in close proximity to the regional Caledonia-Clover Hill Fault that demarcates Avalonia from Ganderia across the Province.

Catamaran Tin Project Overview

The total Property comprises 6 claims and 184 units with a total surface area of 4,077 hectares. The Property is located in central New-Brunswick, roughly 15 kilometres west of Doaktown. Government of New Brunswick till samples were taken at roughly 2-kilometer spacing and are underlain by sediments, granites, gneiss and volcanics from the Carboniferous to Ordovician. The Project contains multiple granitic pulses, including the Devonian Burnt Hill granite that hosts the Burnt Hill tungsten-tin deposit. The Project is also in close proximity to the regional Catamaran-Woodstock and Bamford Brook-Hainesville Faults that bound the Miramichi Terrane from the Matapedia Basin to the north and the Fredericton Trough to the south.

Grant of Options

The Company also announces that the Board of Directors approved the grant of incentive stock options to an officer and key employee to purchase up to an aggregate of 400,000 common shares in the capital stock of the Company. Grants are subject to a three-year vesting period and a five-year term at an exercise price of $0.13 per share. The stock options have been granted pursuant to the Company’s Stock Option Plan and are subject to applicable securities laws and TSX Venture Exchange policies.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Charles Kodors, P. Geo, Manager New Brunswick of Brunswick Exploration.

About Brunswick Exploration

The Company, formerly Komet Resources Inc. is a Montreal-based mineral exploration venture listed on the TSX-V under symbol BRW. The Company is focused on exploration and development of gold and base metal properties in Eastern Canada. Current projects include gold-polymetallic vein systems in Southern New Brunswick (Fundy Gold Project), base metals VMS in the Bathurst Camp in northern New Brunswick, Tin and Tungsten and in the Chibougamau region of Quebec (Waconichi), and the Lac Édouard nickel-copper project in Québec.

Investor Relations/information

Mr. Killian Charles, President (info@BRWexplo.com).

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; changes in equity markets; inflation; fluctuations in commodity prices; delays in the development of projects; the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry; and those risks set out in the Corporation’s public documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Corporation believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

FCB Taps Danilo Boer as Global Creative Partner

Ex-Ogilvy NY CCO to partner with Global CCO Credle and network’s creative leaders

Danilo Boer

Boer and his daughter Sabine

NEW YORK, Dec. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FCB today announced the appointment of Danilo Boer as Global Creative Partner, bolstering the award-winning creative leadership team under Global Chief Creative Officer Susan Credle. Partnering with Credle, Boer will further evolve FCB’s creative vision while also supporting FCB’s ongoing investment into innovation-fueled creativity. Boer joins FCB’s Global Creative Council and will serve as the connector among the network’s global creative teams that have delivered renowned work, leading FCB to be named Cannes Lions’ 2020/2021 Network of the Year. Boer will partner with FCB’s global leaders to build on and evolve the network’s creative offering that centers around both solving clients’ short-term business problems and delivering timeless ideas that build brand equity.

“I have followed Danilo’s career for over a decade. His creative ambitions align with FCB’s perfectly — timely ideas that activate the business while also building brand equity over time. Our shared ambition is to prove that creativity is an economic multiplier,” said Credle. “Most importantly, Danilo is a creative who is generous with his talent. He will be a great partner to our agencies around the world. He cares about other people’s creative success as much as his own, maybe more.”

Most recently, Boer oversaw Ogilvy New York’s creative department of over 100 employees as he emphasized innovation and cultural relevance, which helped reignite the agency with a streak of pitch wins for new clients including Absolut Vodka, Zippo and World of Hyatt; and create award-winning work for clients such as IBM, IKEA, Samsung and Instagram. Prior to joining Ogilvy, Boer’s creative excellence was inescapable as he rose through the ranks at BBDO New York, ultimately becoming Executive Creative Director and leading the creative teams of multiple global brands like Bacardí, Macy’s and GE. While Bacardí and Macy’s are iconic brands, they were not seen as fresh or exciting in their rapidly expanding categories. Boer changed that perception with his upbeat, invigorating creative.

This appointment follows a historic year for FCB. In addition to the accolades from Cannes Lions, FCB was chosen as Adweek’s 2020 Global Agency of the Year, was the most awarded network at the 2021 ANDY awards for the second year in a row, and was named the #1 Global Network for promoting Good Causes on The Good Report — all for work driven by FCB’s Never Finished philosophy, Credle’s “456 Scale” to evaluate the work and FCB’s ongoing investment in personalized, data-driven capabilities.

“FCB’s memorable and innovative work is shaping our industry and redefining how clients’ business problems are solved, and it’s a privilege to now be at the epicenter of the team’s journey,” said Boer. “I’m thrilled to partner with Susan, the renowned CCOs, strategists, business developers, data experts and more who are on a mission to prove creativity is an economic multiplier.”

Boer’s appointment is the latest in a series of recent key leadership changes within FCB’s global team. In September, Vita Harris was elevated to Global Chief Strategy Officer to evolve FCB’s strategic offering across all disciplines, focusing on innovation and on diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I); in May, Tina Allan was appointed as Head of Data Science & Connections to lead the greater alignment of FCB’s deep strategic capabilities with its robust performance and data offerings, including its rapidly expanding and award-winning creative data agency, FCB/SIX.

About FCB
FCB (Foote, Cone & Belding) is a global, award-winning and integrated marketing communications company with a heritage of creativity and success dating from 1873. Named Cannes Lions 2020/2021 Network of the Year, Adweek 2020 Global Agency of the Year, Ad Age 2020 A-List Agency Standout and the #1 Global Network on The Good Report 2020, FCB focuses on creating Never Finished campaign ideas that have the power to transform brands, businesses and communities. With more than 8,000 people in 109 operations in 80 countries, the company is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG). Visit fcb.com or follow @FCBglobal on Instagram and Twitter and FCB Global on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Contacts:
Melanie Mitchem
Melanie.Mitchem@fcb.com
917-902-0998

Titus Wouda Kuipers
Titus.WoudaKuipers@fcb.com
347-443-5578

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5601f743-675a-4322-b78a-bb98d1c04853

Optimize development of Indonesian natural ingredient medicine: BPOM

National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) Head Penny Kusumastuti Lukito encouraged all parties to synergize to optimize the discovery, development, and utilization of Indonesian natural ingredient medicine.

At a virtual event on traditional medicine on Thursday, Lukito noted that this could be accomplished by making the most of the developments in science and technology.

“What is important for us is to work together to utilize the potential that exists across Indonesia,” she emphasized.

Exploring the potential of and documenting empirical data for natural ingredient medicine necessitates collective effort, she stressed.

This could provide additional value from the richness of the country’s natural landscape through the discovery and development of natural ingredient medicine in Indonesia.

Development of science and technology could be tapped optimally to explore and improve the quality and competitiveness of Indonesian natural ingredient medicine.

However, empirical data and documented information regarding the efficacy and benefits of natural ingredient medicine is necessary, according to Lukito.

Advanced research and development could then be conducted based on that empirical data.

Such research and development could produce quality jamu (Indonesian traditional medicine) and standardized herbal medicine that had passed the pre-clinical trial and phytopharma that had cleared the clinical trial.

Several regions in Indonesia still have the potential for natural ingredient development that could be processed into quality and standardized herbal medicine, and phythopharma, the BPOM’s head stated.

However, such areas of potential have to be discovered and developed in order to proffer the greatest benefits for the prosperity of the Indonesian people.

All stakeholders, including the BPOM, researchers, and entrepreneurs, have to collaborate to optimize the discovery, development, and utilization of natural ingredient medicine.

Source: Antara News