April 1, 2022. HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam. Stock index in Vietnam until 3.2022 Stock index in Vietnam until 3.2022 Source Link: http://www.ssc.gov.vn/ubck/faces/en/enmenu/enpages_enthongtinthitruong/hoseinfo/transactionresultinhose?_adf.ctrl-state=oqoyueamb_58&_afrLoop=991268799685000&_afrWindowMode=0&_afrWindowId=oqoyueamb_55#%40%3F_afrWindowId%3Doqoyueamb_55%26_afrLoop%3D991268799685000%26_afrWindowMode%3D0%26_adf.ctrl-state%3Dxf22qrqsi_19

September 2022. Microprocessors and Microsystems Volume 93, 104573 Published by Elsevier B.V. Although the You Look Only Once Version 4 (YOLOv4) algorithm can achieve target detection of images with high speed and accuracy, it could not obtain the frame synchronization time parameter directly. Abstract In digital imaging, dual-sensor fusion imaging has critical applications because it can improve the Signal-To-Noise ratio (SNR) of images and obtain more details than single-sensor. The frame synchronization time parameter, a vital evaluation factor in dual-sensor fusion imaging, still lacks automated measurement. Although the You Look Only Once Version 4 (YOLOv4) algorithm can achieve target detection of images with high speed and accuracy, it could not obtain the frame synchronization time parameter directly. To solve this problem, this paper proposes an improved method for measuring frame synchronization time parameters based on YOLOv4. In this method, we propose an optimized network and construct the Position Marker Match algorithm and Light-Emitting Diode (LED) lit area conversion algorithm. By compared with other popular methods, the proposed method has higher accuracy and automatically calculates frame synchronization time parameters. At the same time, it shows good generalization ability and robustness. Keywords Digital imaging Signal-to-noise ratio Object detection Frame synchronization 1. Introduction As the semiconductor manufacturing process develops, the sensor development shows the trend of multi-pixel and pixel size miniaturization, which puts higher requirements on image processing speed and image signal-to-noise ratio. In practice, it has become more common to use dual sensors to improve the amount of light in images in low-light scenes to boost the signal-to-noise ratio. Through dual-sensor image fusion, the clarity of the image is enhanced so that the image can present more picture details. Typical use cases are: in the cell phone camera, dual sensors are used to obtain depth information. Moreover, by facilitating the artistic processing of the image, the resulting image shows a depth-of-field bokeh effect similar to that of a Single-Lens Reflex (SLR). In the field of security surveillance, dual sensors can indirectly increase the amount of incoming light and improve the detail of the video stream in low-light scenes. In the field of Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS), it can be used to detect objects’ distance or fuse and stick images into a single image with a broader Field Of View (FOV) than a single image sensor. The dual-sensor fusion imaging can promote the clarity of the picture and improve image quality. On the other hand, it also faces a series of problems. Two different physical components generate the two frames obtained from the dual-sensor exposure. Due to the difference in control signal delay and signal responses, it is difficult to ensure that the two sensors simultaneously start and end the exposure. In contrast, the existence of movement of the subject or camera shake will cause differences in the content of the two frames, which will also affect the image fusion effect. In this case, there are higher requirements for dual-sensor fusion imaging technology. In the dual-sensor fusion imaging technology, the frame synchronization time parameter is essential in evaluating the quality of fusion imaging. The time-related parameters of the sensor consist of exposure time, exposure start time, Electronic Rolling Shutter (ERS), vertical blanking, frame rate and time lags. Among them, exposure time, exposure start time, and ERS are the main parameters affecting the sensor’s image content. Exposure time and exposure start time jointly affect the time-domain characteristics of the object captured by the sensor. At the same time, ERS is an inherent characteristic of the Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) sensor and is excluded from the frame synchronization time parameters. For sensor imaging, the exposure start time and exposure time are expressed in the frame images as the alignment of the frame content. There are different requirements for frame synchronization parameters in various scenes. The speed and frame time synchronization parameters of object movement determine the difference between the frame images. It is generally accepted that the difference in frame synchronization time parameter is mostly within 10 ms for ordinary photo scenes of cell phones; however, surveillance cameras on the highway are mainly within 5 ms due to the high speed of cars. When the frame synchronization time parameter is large, there is usually a significant difference in the position of the subjects in the two images, and the fused images are prone to ghosting and artifacts. When it is small, the position difference between the subjects in the two images is usually tiny, the content of the two images is closer, and the fused image is cleaner. Currently, there are two main types of input images for the frame synchronization time parameter: one is a stopwatch image with input accuracy to the millisecond, and the other is a DxO LED Universal Timer image. The former, owing to exposure time, the obtained image in the stopwatch numbers mixed. It can only be distinguished manually. The latter statistical accuracy can be set. The starting position of the light and the length of the lit area in the image form a link with exposure time. The latter can more intuitively present exposure time with better accuracy than the former. There are two ways for the frame synchronization time parameters of the statistics: a manual statistics DxO LED Universal Timer in the number of LED and the DxO automatic statistics method. The former has human subjective differences and is less efficient, while the latter does not depend on human subjectivity and is more efficient in the automatic calculation. The DxO LED Universal Timer improves efficiency but requires a specific environment and camera parameters. It cannot adapt to different natural environments and has poor generalization. In computer vision, automatic statistics of frame synchronization time parameters is a matter of target detection and target localization. To solve the difficulties faced in statistical frame synchronization time parameters, it is necessary to find a new automated detection method. Automatic detection methods can be divided into traditional and deep learning target detection methods. General steps of the conventional target detection algorithm mainly include (1) traversing the image through sliding windows of various sizes to obtain image information; (2) constructing mathematical models to extract features; (3) using a variety of classifiers to obtain detection results. The traditional target detection method is simple and intuitive. The disadvantage is that the detection accuracy is overly dependent on the background environment of the image, and it is often difficult to meet people’s requirements in the case of backlight, overexposure, and defocus. Furthermore, there is a large amount of feature information about the target object in the construction of mathematical models. Most mathematical models have difficulty in comprehensively summarizing various feature information. Furthermore, most mathematical models constructed by them have poor generalization ability, easily resulting in false detection and missed detection. With the development of deep learning and computer hardware progress, the mainstream target detection technology based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) provides the direction to solve the above problem. One is based on visual features to get the candidate frame, and then the candidate frame is regressed to get the detection region. The classical ones in this regard are Region-CNN (R-CNN) series algorithms. The other will be the target detection and spatial location as a regression problem to solve a single traversal to get the object’s regional location and confidence. Without generating candidate boxes, the representative algorithms are YOLOv4 and RetinaNet. YOLOv4 version based on You Look Only Once Version 3 (YOLOv3), improved data processing, backbone network, network training, and data enhancement in the detection. It has reached the industry-leading level in terms of precision and accuracy but could not detect the goal directly. Measuring frame synchronization time parameters is a practical task based on YOLOv4. It is worth noting that there is an algorithm called YOLOv5, but it is not official, and the so-called YOLOv5 is not as accurate as YOLOv4 under the same conditions. The comparison of YOLOv4 and YOLOv5 can be found at https://blog.roboflow.com/yolov4-versus-yolov5. Based on the importance of frame time synchronization parameters for dual-sensor fusion imaging and the shortcomings faced by the current measurement, this paper proposes an improved method for measuring frame synchronization time parameters, which can solve the error caused by manually identifying the scale in the DxO LED Universal Timer; it can automate the calculation of frame synchronization time parameters and reduce the labor cost; it has a strong acceptance of the test scenario, instead of requiring specific lighting and other environmental conditions. What is more, the obtained frame synchronization time parameters in different environmental conditions could verify the effect of varying tuning parameters in the Image Signal Processor (ISP) realistically. This method has high practical value in the field of dual-sensor fusion imaging. To measure the timing information of multiple image frames, we expect the method to be processed on embedded devices (cell phones or surveillance cameras). It is a large project, so we first consider implementing a method running on an Invidia Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). We will try to migrate this method into embedded devices in future research. This paper studies an Improved YOLOv4 method that uses the DxO LED Universal Timer image as an input to automatically identify the rectangular spatial location and size of the strip lit area in the image and calculate the timing information of different image frames. The corresponding optimization strategies are innovatively proposed for different problems in this method. This method proposes a pre-processing image strategy to optimize the accuracy of the small size of image target objects, an image determination threshold logic to optimize the problem of the noise of tiny area of objects being misidentified, a data augmentation strategy marked as Mosaic-a method to optimize the problem of uneven distribution of training samples; a new network structure to optimize the accuracy of object position; a new algorithmic strategy to map the input image spatial position to the value of the frame synchronization time parameter. Through pre-processing digital images and adjusting the marking threshold and the Mosaic-a method, the accuracy of the algorithm results is improved. It shows good generalization ability and robustness for low illumination, backlighting, and other scenes, as well as the detection of defocus situations. Meanwhile, there is no external digital signal communication between the camera device and the DxO LED Universal Timer. The method only relies on the DxO LED Universal Timer image frames collected by the camera device, which can be applied for future analysis. 2. Related work As the technology develops by leaps and bounds, the deep learning algorithm represented by CNN plays an increasingly important role in the field of object detection. In order to improve the detection accuracy and algorithm robustness, relevant researchers have done exploration in various directions. Meanwhile, thanks to the high imaging quality and unique structure, the dual-sensor camera has gradually attracted the attention of researchers. There is a lot of research on the detection of objects to improve accuracy. Yu et al. [1] proposed a detection method based on two-way convolution and multi-scale feature extraction. The input image is divided into two paths for feature processing. Feature extraction, the fusion of the upper and lower side paths are adopted, and feature extraction of different scales is conducted for different size targets. Chen et al. [2] proposed an improved method that was trained on the WIDER FACE dataset and evaluated on the Face Detection Data Set. It may achieve more accurate results by using anchor boxes more appropriate for face detection and a more precise regression loss function. Hsu et al. [3] proposed a new pedestrian detection model following the divide-and-rule concept. Multiresolution adaptive fusion was performed on the output of all images and subimages to generate the final detection result. Huang et al. The development of artificial intelligence technologies has led to more research applying machine learning to real-life object detection tasks. Lv et al. [4] used a Support Vector Machine (SVM) trained only on RGB color space for fruit identification in natural scenes. They reported that this method performed much better than previous threshold-based methods. Luo et al. [5] proposed an AdaBoost and color feature based framework for object detection. The experiments demonstrated that this method can partly reduce the influence of weather condition, and illumination variation. Sa et al. [6] applied the Faster R-CNN [7] detector to fruit detection. The information from the RGB image and Near-Infrared image was used with two fusion methods. This method obtained results better than previous methods. As the representative algorithm of object detection, YOLO series algorithms have a wide range of applications in production scenarios by absorbing some other techniques. Bochkovskiy et al. [8] proposed YOLOv4, using some new features: Weighted-Residual-Connections (WRC), Cross-Stage-Partial-Connections (CSP), Cross Mini-Batch Normalization (CmBN), Self-Adversarial-Training (SAT), Mish activation, Mosaic data augmentation, DropBlock regularization, Complete-IoU (CIoU) loss, and combine some of them to achieve state-of-the-art results. Seo et al. [9] focused on separating touching-pigs in real-time using both the fastest CNN-based object detection technique and image processing techniques. The touching-pigs are detected by using image processing techniques with both infrared and depth information acquired from an Intel RealSense camera. They also prepare the learning data for YOLO-based ‘object detection’. Laroca et al. [10] proposed a robust and efficient Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) system based on the state-of-the-art YOLO object detector. Their system design a two-stage approach employing simple data augmentation tricks such as inverted License Plates (LPs) and flipped characters. Tian et al. [11] proposed a YOLOv3-dense model using DenseNet [12] to optimize the feature layers with low resolution in the YOLOv3 model by enhancing feature propagation, promoting feature reuse, and improving network performance. The YOLOv3-dense model can also be used to detect occluded and overlapping apples in real-time. Liu et al. [13] proposed an improved tomato detection model called YOLO-Tomato for dealing with complicated environment conditions, based on YOLOv3. A dense architecture [12] is incorporated into YOLOv3 to facilitate the reuse of features and help to learn a more compact and accurate model. Moreover, the model updates the traditional Rectangular Bounding Box (R-Bbox) with a Circular Bounding Box (C-Bbox) for tomato localization. Liu et al. [14] proposed a network structure used in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Due to small scale of the target, it is improved by increasing convolution operation at an early layer to enrich spatial information based on the darknet. Both these two optimizations can enlarge the receptive field. Data augmentation methods and regular methods can increase the diversity of samples, improve the resistance of the algorithm to attacks and reduce the occurrence of overfitting. Yun et al. [15] proposed CutMix: patches are cut and pasted among training images where the ground truth labels are also mixed proportionally to the area of the patches. CutMix improves the model robustness against input corruptions and its out-of-distribution detection performances. Ghiasi et al. [16] proposed DropBlock, a form of structured dropout, where units in a contiguous region of a feature map are dropped together. Applying DropBlock in skip connections in addition to the convolution layers increases the accuracy. Also, the gradually increasing number of dropped units during training leads to better accuracy and more robust hyperparameter choices. Chen et al. [17] proposed a simple, general, and effective policy for data augmentation based on information dropping. It deletes uniformly distributed areas and finally forms a grid shape. Using this shape to delete information is more effective than setting a completely random location. Singh et al. [18] presented ‘Hide-and-Seek’, a simple and general data augmentation technique for visual recognition. By randomly hiding patches/frames in a training image/video, they force the network to learn to focus on multiple relevant parts of an object/action. The loss function helps to speed up the convergence of learning and improve the accuracy of regression objects. Zheng et al. [19] proposed two losses, i.e., Distance-IoU (DIoU) loss and CIoU loss, for bounding box regression along with DIoU Non-Maximum Suppression (NMS) for suppressing redundant detection boxes. By directly minimizing the normalized distance of two central points, DIoU loss can achieve faster convergence than Generalized Intersection Over Union (GIoU) loss. CIoU loss takes three geometric properties into consideration, i.e., overlap area, central point distance and aspect ratio, and leads to faster convergence and better performance. Zhou et al. [20] addressed the 2D/3D object detection problem by introducing the IoU loss for two rotated Bboxes. They proposed a unified framework independent IoU loss layer which can be directly applied to axis-aligned or rotated 2D/3D object detection frameworks. Rezatofighi et al. [21] introduced a generalization to IoU as a new metric, namely GIoU, for comparing any two arbitrary shapes. They showed that this new metric has all of the appealing properties that can be found in IoU while addressing its weakness. Dual-sensor cameras have a wide range of applications in the field of production life. Wang et al. [22] proposed a novel dual-camera design to acquire 4D High-Speed Hyperspectral (HSHS) videos with high spatial and spectral resolution. They built a dual-camera system that simultaneously captures a panchromatic video at a high frame rate and a hyperspectral video at a low frame rate, which jointly provide reliable projections for the underlying HSHS video. Rupapara et al. [23] presented a low complexity image fusion system in the Bayer domain using a monochrome and Bayer sensor. They have used a novel Bayer domain transform for performing the image fusion. The proposed system requires only one ISP and is computationally less intensive. So it reduces the hardware resources significantly and still gives better quality fused images. Yang et al. [24] proposed a dual-camera based framework to identify and track non-driving activities (NDAs) that require visual attention. Dual-sensor cameras have important applications, but the research on automation methods for frame synchronization time parameters is inadequate. Masson et al. [25] introduced a new device, the DxO LED Universal Timer, designed to measure the different timings of digital cameras by counting LEDs on images. LED bar graphs make it easy to count LEDs on the instrument, and counting is done automatically with advanced image processing algorithms. A large number of LEDs allow for great measurement accuracy. Measurement algorithms are completely automated, but it depends on the desired shooting conditions. Bucher et al. [26] presented a novel capacitive device that stimulates the touchscreen interface of a smartphone (or of any imaging device equipped with a capacitive touchscreen) and synchronizes triggering with the DxO LED Universal Timer to measure shooting time lag and shutter lag. Rátosi et al. [27] presented a novel method to measure the exposure time of digital cameras. The hardware requirements of the proposed method are low: only a signal generator, driving an LED source, is required. In summary, as the YOLO series has been developed over a long period of time, it is in the leading position in terms of performance and accuracy. It has been widely used in production and life by combining with other advanced technologies. However, the task of detecting frame time synchronization parameters cannot be done by itself alone. So we introduce some other techniques to achieve this goal with high accuracy. Data enhancement methods can improve the richness of samples. Loss functions can improve the convergence speed of the algorithm. In imaging, dual-sensor cameras play an indispensable role due to their unique structure and high imaging quality. In contrast, there are few methods for automated measurement of frame synchronization. In some methods, additional wiring connections are required, which causes some inconvenience and cost. Based on the above background, this paper proposes an Improved YOLOv4 method, which adopts data enhancement and other methods to realize the automatic detection of frame synchronization time parameters and has higher detection accuracy and adaptability to various scenes than the original YOLOv4. 3. Proposed improvement method 3.1. Dxo LED universal timer The DxO LED Universal Timer, shown in Fig. 1, consists of 100 LEDs per line * 5 lines. The right side of each line shows the scrolling cycle time of the current line of LEDs. The scrolling cycle time of LEDs in ith line is noted as Tii∈1,2,3,4,5. Each line of LEDs is lit from left to right, and the duration of each LED is Ti/100. The scrolling cycle time is settable. Moreover, there is no digital signal output reacting to the position of each LED. The Marker-A (5 pieces) and Marker-B (1 piece) are divided into two categories, and any one of them can be processed centrally to obtain another category of position marker. In practice, the frame rate can be measured by the Vertical Deflection (VD) signal of the frame interrupt generated by the sensor, which is more accurate than direct observation from the image. This paper focuses on the exposure time and exposure start time. At the same time, only one LED in each line of running lights is in the lighting state. By rolling each LED in a cycle by row, after a certain exposure time, the image obtained from the photo shows a strip lit area. When capturing the timer image in the actual scene, the timer position is located according to the positional marker’s spatial position, and the timer’s spatial orientation is confirmed according to the kind distribution of the positional marker. The frame exposure starts time information can be converted from the strip lit area location coordinates. What is more, exposure time information can be converted from the strip lit area length. Cited by Yunfa Li received the Ph.D. degree from the School of Computer Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China, in 2008. He is currently a vice professor in software engineering at Hangzhou Dianzi University, China. His research interests include Cloud Computing, Internet of Things, Network Security, Big Data, Computer Vision and Deep Learning. Guanxu Liu is a postgraduate student in Hangzhou Dianzi University, China. His research interests include Computer Vision and Deep Learning. Ming Yang is currently a researcher of IoT Security at The Third Research Institute of The Ministry of Public Security. His research interests include Internet of Things, Network Security, Computer Vision and Deep Learning. The research was funded by Key Lab of Information Network Security, Ministry of Public Security, China under Grant C20614. Full Information On: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141933122001223

July 16, 2022. NEW HAMPSHIRE, US. Watch as Justin Allgaier takes the checkered flag at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Source Link: https://www.nascar.com/video/franchise/xfinity-series-final-laps/justin-allgaier-overcomes-early-race-incident-to-win-at-new-hampshire/

July 15, 2022. CANADA. Meet Jeroen Wats, Founder of Exo Technologies, find out why and HOW his company can use these words in confidence, knowing that they have earned the right. Yachting International Radio Recycle, Sustainability, Resource-efficient, Circular Economy, Sustainable Growth, Low-Carbon, Green........................yes, these words that are used so often in the world today, but more of a marketing campaign and a hashtag, rather than real change being made. It's called Greenwashing and the world has jumped on the bandwagon. Meet Jeroen Wats, Founder of Exo Technologies, find out why and HOW his company can use these words in confidence, knowing that they have earned the right. To contact Jeroen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeroenwats/ For more on Exo Technologies: https://exo-tech.com/ @exotechiom https://www.linkedin.com/company/exot... If you would like to be a guest on Yacht Crew Vlogs, send an email to info@yachtinginternationalradio.com, subject, Yacht Crew Vlogs. Youtube Subscribe: Yachting International Radio Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Khgv2Q5c8 "Compelling Change” Canadian Owned and Operated, Yachting International Radio is a Yachting Channel spanning across all social media platforms. Reaching OVER 300K Industry professionals per month, YIR brings you weekly shows on major topics such as the environment, mental health, diversity, equality, innovation and education, hosted by experts in their field, including crew and ex-crew.

September 30, 2021. BANGKOK, Thailand. We now take a closer look beyond their basic differences, focusing on why TechFin is not a threat to FinTech – but might even be a potential for partnership. FinTech startups have been disrupting the financial industry in recent years, but times change quickly – and now the same companies have begun looking over their shoulder in fear of a new set of potential rivals. In our previous article, we talked about how TechFin is the latest challenge in the financial industry, and why it shouldn’t be confused with FinTech – despite the confusingly similar names. We now take a closer look beyond their basic differences, focusing on why TechFin is not a threat to FinTech – but might even be a potential for partnership. Different customer bases FinTech largely targets the same customers as other financial institutions, drawing in new customers with more streamlined options for financial services. In contrast, TechFin is not directly trying to replace existing bank processes for customers. Most TechFin companies have a large user base already, and do not try to lure potential customers away from the financial services market. Although TechFin companies provide financial services on their front-end,they will usually let a licensed financial institution process the actual transactions. This way, TechFin businesses can avoid the regulatory hurdles and other requirements imposed upon financial institutions, while still providing their users with world-class services on their platforms. Ultimately, a TechFin company’s target audience is its existing users. A technology business in TechFin seamlessly slots financial services alongside the other features that its users can access, thereby providing more reasons for customers to stay on one platform and complementing the overall user experience. Benchmarks for success The differences between FinTech startups and TechFin platforms go beyond service type and customer base. The two groups of companies also have very different business models. The goals of TechFin companies revolve around engagement levels and data. By providing financial services on their platform, TechFin companies can keep users on their platform for longer periods of time. Increased time spent on the platform means more user engagement, more opportunities for paid advertisements, and more user data gathered for monetization. As with most technology businesses, TechFin companies collect user data to analyze consumer behavior and spending habits. This same data can be used to create better customized services, or sold for a profit to other companies. In some cases, data monetization can be more lucrative for TechFin companies than the returns from the financial services themselves. For FinTech companies, on the other hand, user engagement alone does not guarantee profit – or even survival. FinTech platforms aim to attract customers who will open accounts and use their financial services. Even if a FinTech platform adds new high-tech features that encourage their customers to use their platform for longer periods of time, if customers do not make any financial transactions, the Fintech platform will have failed to increase the value of assets under its management. …? In this respect, FinTech has much more in common with other banks and financial institutions than with TechFin. Although FinTech companies use cutting-edge technologies and digital infrastructure, the overarching measure of their success is about increasing their assets under management, just like traditional banks. Innovation through partnership TechFin is more than a threat for FinTech to understand and compete with. In fact, TechFin companies can be great potential collaborators for FinTech businesses. A FinTech startup can boost customer success by pairing with TechFin companies to create a platform that is attractive and user-friendly. By offering in-depth data analysis and detailed consumer insights, a TechFin partner can help a FinTech startup make financial transactions as easy and enjoyable as the TechFin partner’s features. Meanwhile, a TechFin company might prefer to pair with a financial institution that is more aligned with their technology-centric approach. When choosing a partner in the financial industry to provide payment services to their users, a TechFin company can work more efficiently with a FinTech startup that is technologically fluent. For a TechFin company, a FinTech partner’s main advantage is its ability to swiftly adapt payment models that suit the needs of users in the TechFin sector. A FinTech partner can also help a TechFin platform offer financial services that are innovative and exciting for its users. FinTech startups are constantly seeking new ways of doing financial transactions in order to challenge the ‘old-fashioned’ services of the industry, such as blockchain utilization and cryptocurrency trading. Ultimately, businesses from both sectors can help each other attract and retain consumers – while continuing to innovate the financial industry. It’s all about perspective Although similarly named, TechFin is not here to uproot FinTech’s spot in the financial sector. As a group of technology companies, the TechFin sector has different customers, operations, and goals than Fintech. Not only is it possible for TechFin to peacefully coexist with FinTech, but both can benefit enormously by working together to push their respective services towards a more digitized customer friendly future. By building new partnerships between the two sectors, both TechFin and FinTech can help each other attract and retain consumers – while acting as twin catalysts for change in the financial industry. Source Link: https://www.bangkokbankinnohub.com/techfin-a-threat-to-fintech/

July 17, 2022. ISTANBUL, Turkiye. Yelda Temur, a female member of our nation, who was insulted by Erdoğan, who could not manage to act like the President, took the floor at the Nation's Chair. Our Chairman, Ms. Meral Akşener, in the group meeting of the Turkish Grand National Assembly on Wednesday, 8 June; Inflation, which is in a downward trend, To the Statistical Institute that did not upset Tayyip Bey, to the Council of State and Court of Accounts reports, Looting in Kızılbük Bay, To the insult to our beloved nation, To the problems of our citizens of Burdur, Seventh of the For Youth Together with Youth sessions, He shared his views on our projects for village schools. Yelda Temur, a female member of our nation, who was insulted by Erdoğan, who could not manage to act like the President, took the floor at the Nation's Chair. Our Chairman, Ms. Meral Akşener, at the parliamentary group meeting on Wednesday, 8 June, regarding us waking up to the news of a new price hike every day; 'Thanks to Mr. Crisis and extraordinary economy management, we wake up every day with the news of a new price hike. A hike in bread in the morning, a hike in electricity at noon, a hike in natural gas in the evening. A hike in petrol and diesel at midnight. Now we go to bed with a raise, we get up with a raise… Our retirees, whose 2,500 lira reva is seen, are waiting in line at the People's Bread queues. Our young people, who cannot find the money for the bus to go to school, spend the day in despair. Home to mothers who do not know what to cook at home in the evening; she cries out because she can't buy meat, milk, oil, flour, even diapers for her child. While our nation is living in insecurity, everything is fine according to the palace company. While our nation is struggling with poverty; The pleasures of the palace advisers with 5 salaries and 10 salaries are as good as ever. While the inflation in the country was announced as 73% and a half even with make-up, the Nabataean Minister, dazzling with his incompetence, came out and said; 'We went to a crossroads. We chose to grow with inflation. Manufacturers and exporters profit from this system, except for the low-income.' says. Could it be such a mess? Could there be such a bulge? Are you shamelessly making fun of our people whom you condemned to poverty and poverty? 'With the exception of the low-income, the others are doing well.' what it means? Could there be such an indifference that does not consider our low-income citizens as citizens? What are you then? Scarecrow? Is this system not your choice? Is this how Turkey, which you say 'will fly', will fly? Are you also shamelessly making fun of our people whom you condemned to poverty? 'With the exception of the low-income, the others are doing well.' what it means? Could there be such an indifference that does not consider our low-income citizens as citizens? What are you then? Scarecrow? Is this system not your choice? Is this how Turkey, which you say 'will fly', will fly? Are you also shamelessly making fun of our people whom you condemned to poverty? 'With the exception of the low-income, the others are doing well.' what it means? Could there be such an indifference that does not consider our low-income citizens as citizens? What are you then? Scarecrow? Is this system not your choice? Is this how Turkey, which you say 'will fly', will fly?'' said. Our Chairman, Ms. Meral Akşener, regarding the latest inflation figures announced by TURKSTAT; 'While the PPI, which reflects the production costs, continues to climb in three-digit numbers, when we look at the words of Nabati Minister, we understand that Turkstat will come to the aid of this friend with its magic wand. As a matter of fact, we have already started to see the first signs of this… First, they dismissed the head of department responsible for CPI and PPI rates. Then they changed 20 regional managers. Now, TÜİK has calculated the weight of tomato and potato as of this month; announced that he would not publish how much he calculated the rental prices. Do you know what the reasons were? There is no such demand from the European Union anymore. In other words, he feels responsible only to Erdoğan, not to the citizens of this country. In other words, he admits that it is not an institution of the State of the Republic of Turkey, but the Statistical Institute that does not upset Tayyip Bey. In other words, it reveals the institutional state crisis in our country once again. On this occasion, I have a few words to say to the person who determines these figures. The numbers you explain determine the salary increase of the worker, civil servant, retiree. The plague of our people who could not bring the end of the month is on your neck. Come, do not darken both of your worlds. Come, do not take the sigh of this nation any longer. Either do your duty properly or, with the awareness of your responsibility to the nation, leave those duties with the dignity and honor of the statesmen. Do not forget; The one who is abat with ah will be miserable with trouble. Tell me.” Come, do not darken both of your worlds. Come, do not take the sigh of this nation any longer. Either do your duty properly or, with the awareness of your responsibility to the nation, leave those duties with the dignity and honor of the statesmen. Do not forget; The one who is abat with ah will be miserable with trouble. Tell me.” Come, do not darken both of your worlds. Come, do not take the sigh of this nation any longer. Either do your duty properly or, with the awareness of your responsibility to the nation, leave those duties with the dignity and honor of the statesmen. Do not forget; The one who is abat with ah will be miserable with trouble. Tell me.” he said. Regarding the words of our President, Mrs. Meral Akşener, speaking at the anniversaries of the Council of State and the Court of Accounts; '"In the speeches he made at the anniversary ceremonies of our two institutions, we saw a fanatic fighting against the state, not the President of this country, as usual. He went to the Court of Accounts, whose constitutional duty was to oversee financial activities in public administrations, and adjusted in his usual indecent manner. 'Don't call it straight.' said. Well; 'Don't do your job.' said. Now, naturally, I want to ask him. No, Mr. Crisis? Why are you so scared? Why are you so hesitant? The reports of the Court of Accounts are like an encyclopedia of corruption. Now, do you think you can prevent this with threats, pressure, bullying? Don't worry about it, don't tire yourself. Because the state does not forget. Injustice, unlawfulness, does not stay with anyone. Of course, those reports will one day circulate and catch up with those concerned. It's not over. In the same way, he both showed the stick and gave law lessons to the Council of State. What is it? crutches to guardianship; A judiciary, which has become the backyard of secret and open organizations and is the instrument of interest calculations, cannot make decisions on behalf of the nation. So what is the task of the Council of State? In addition to being an examination, decision and advisory body that assists the executive body, it also conducts audits through the judiciary on behalf of the nation. No, Mr Erdogan? Did it go too hard to hear that the Istanbul Convention cannot be terminated by a presidential decision? Are you so upset that there are virtuous and moral prosecutors whose robes you can't sew buttons on? Are you very upset because you can't take the judiciary completely under your tutelage? Look, Mr. Erdogan, this state is not anyone's father's farm. These institutions are not private companies of anyone. No one working in these institutions is a commander. Come to your senses at once!'' said. Our Chairman, Ms. Meral Akşener, regarding the events in Kızılbük Bay, which is located in Marmaris National Park; 'A great plunder and a nature massacre is being carried out in Kızılbük Bay. Rentals are at work again. Our forests, our breath and our souls are being cut for the sake of another hotel, another construction project. From here on paper as the Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate; In reality, I would like to ask Murat Kurum and the Governorship of Muğla, who have kept silent and given way to the destruction of our environment, our cities and our climate; 'EIA report is not required.' Based on what interest, what purpose and what expectation did you make your decision? For what reason do you turn a blind eye to the destruction of our national park, trees and endemic plants with the dynamites that were detonated while looking into the eyes of our nation? If you think that our Muğla is unclaimed and our National Parks forlorn, you are very wrong! If you think that your revolution will be permanent with your understanding of obedience to the boss and the nation, you are very wrong! Name Build-Operate-Transfer; In essence, if you think that your Burn-Loot-Destroy projects will stay with you, you are very wrong! Because now there is the IYI Party. he said. Our Chairman, Ms. Meral Akşener, regarding the filthy language, anger and hatred of the members of the government; ' Before the AK Party government, the Great Turkish Nation, which has been a saint in every period of its history; One day he becomes a traitor, one day he becomes a terrorist, one day he becomes ungrateful, one day he becomes ungrateful, one day he becomes unscrupulous. As a matter of fact, last week, without any shame, without being bored, without hesitation; It was called "rotten and slutty". This insult was not done by a Greek who could not forget his pouring into the sea. Neither did an Englishman who was carrying the stomachache of his past defeat. Nor did a Frenchman who could not get over his traumas did this insult. This insult was made by the President of this country, President! Shame on you!” he said. Our President Meral Akşener, who came together with our citizens from Burdur; He told the troubles of our tradesmen, producers, farmers and young people from Burdur. Our Chairman, who held the seventh session for the youth together with the youth, expressed the problems of the youth, who are deprived of their music, which is a part of their soul, the stage where they feel freedom, and the art on which they express themselves, from the rostrum in the reverse mentoring session. Our Chairman, Mrs. Meral Akşener, regarding the village schools; ''As the Good Party, when we come to power with the permission of Allah and the discretion of our nation, we will repair the abandoned village schools with the money spent for bussed education. We will improve each of them technologically. Moreover, since there will be compulsory kindergarten education for one year in the village schools we will open, we will appoint at least 50 thousand teachers who cannot be appointed. These teachers will follow the path of wrens. He will go through a good in-service training before going to his places of duty. Orientation will be completed. Villages will also benefit from all kinds of opportunities. When we open village schools, we will prevent our children from becoming learning poor with qualified equal opportunities. We will not leave any of our children behind. We will remove their birthplace from being a disadvantage, and we will ensure that they receive a good education in their villages. Technology will provide technology, and a laboratory will establish a laboratory; We will provide scientific and skill-based education. When we opened village schools; Our girls will continue to school, they will not be married at an early age. Our bright children with their daughters and men will have a profession. He will achieve his dream of being a doctor, teacher, engineer. When we open village schools, we will reclaim our values ​​that are wanted to be forgotten. Our National Anthem will be sung again in our villages. The loud voice of our oath will be heard again. Our national holidays will be celebrated with enthusiasm again. Don't worry, there is very little left!” Our bright children will have a profession. He will achieve his dream of being a doctor, teacher, engineer. When we open village schools, we will reclaim our values ​​that are wanted to be forgotten. Our National Anthem will be sung again in our villages. The loud voice of our oath will be heard again. Our national holidays will be celebrated with enthusiasm again. Don't worry, there is very little left!” Our bright children will have a profession. He will achieve his dream of being a doctor, teacher, engineer. When we open village schools, we will reclaim our values ​​that are wanted to be forgotten. Our National Anthem will be sung again in our villages. The loud voice of our oath will be heard again. Our national holidays will be celebrated with enthusiasm again. Don't worry, there is very little left!” said. Yelda Temur, a female member of our nation, who was insulted by Erdoğan, who could not manage to act like the President, took the floor at the Nation's Chair. Read Full: https://iyiparti.org.tr/milletin-namusuna-dil-uzatandan-cumhurbaskani-olmaz

July 14, 2022. HONG KONG. Is named "Most Honored Company" by Institutional Investor New World Development takes home seven awards in “All-Asia Executive Team (Rest of Asia)” rankings by Institutional Investor, including being voted once again “Most Honored Company”. New World Development Company Limited (“New World Development”, “the Company” or “the Group”, Hong Kong stock code: 00017) is pleased to announce that the Company won seven awards, including being once again granted “Most Honored Company” recognition in the “2022 All-Asia Executive Team (Rest of Asia)” rankings conducted by Institutional Investor, a prestigious international financial magazine. As for individual awards, the Company’s CEO, Mr. Adrian Cheng, and CFO, Mr. Edward Lau, received the “Best CEO” and “Best CFO” awards, respectively. New World Development is also pleased to be once again ranked among the best in the “All-Asia Executive Team” rankings, highlighting the Company’s long-term commitment to creating value for investors and society. The Company’s information disclosure and transparency have also been widely recognised by the capital market and investors. Institutional Investor’s “All-Asia Executive Team” rankings, reputed to be the investment equivalent of the Oscars, is one of the most important benchmark and indicative surveys in the capital market. This year, New World Development received seven awards in various categories, including: - Most Honored Company (Property Sector) - Best CEO – Adrian Cheng - Best CFO – Edward Lau - Best IR Professional – Christy Lam - Best ESG - Best IR Program - Best IR Team This year’s survey invited a total of 5,524 investors, analysts and portfolio managers from 1,521 securities firms and financial services institutions, to rate 1,621 companies nominated in 18 sectors and selected the list of awardees accordingly. For two consecutive years, New World Development has won awards in the“All-Asia Executive Team” rankings. In the future, the Company will fully utilise the advantages of its diversified business portfolio and continue to achieve the highest ESG standards; maintain close and effective communication with investors and the capital market in response to the fast-changing market environment; and dedicate itself to promoting business sustainability and to Creating Shared Value for society, investors and all stakeholders. Source Link: https://www.nwd.com.hk/content/new-world-development-wins-seven-awards-%E2%80%9Call-asia-executive-team%E2%80%9D-rankings-and-named-%E2%80%9Cmost-0

June 10, 2022. LOS ANGELES, California. President Biden announced key initiatives that USAID will play a significant role implementing, and USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced several initiatives, targets, and partnerships to support the Biden-Harris Administration's initiatives for the region. Office of Press Relations press@usaid.gov The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced multiple initiatives at the Ninth Summit of the Americas, hosted by the United States in Los Angeles, California in June 2022. President Biden announced key initiatives that USAID will play a significant role implementing, and USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced several initiatives, targets, and partnerships to support the Biden-Harris Administration's initiatives for the region. Humanitarian Assistance and Migration Integration Programming In support of the Biden-Harris Administration's Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection: USAID is placing an important focus on integrating migrant populations into host countries and expanding programming throughout the region to help people find hope and opportunity in their communities. USAID is supporting labor pathways and integration and providing life-saving humanitarian assistance. USAID will provide up to $35.9 million to promote the social and economic integration of millions of Venezuelan migrants and refugees in South America through policy reform, pathways for legal status, professional certification, job training and placement, microenterprise creation, access to financial services, and other socio-economic integration efforts. USAID will provide approximately $171 million in humanitarian assistance to respond to the Venezuela regional crisis. $72.7 million in funding for Venezuela to support healthcare, food, nutrition, water and sanitation, and protection services, through United Nations (UN) agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). $98.2 million in funding to support the provision of emergency food assistance to Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. With USAID support, humanitarian organizations are addressing acute food insecurity among Venezuelan migrants and refugees by providing hot meals, cash transfers, food vouchers, and food kits. USAID will provide up to $4.1 million in Central America to expand work in countries including Belize, Costa Rica, and Panama, which will support the social and economic integration of migrants from Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti, and others throughout Central America. Food Security and Resilience In support of the Biden-Harris Administration's goals to address food security and resilience in the region: Administrator Power announced approximately $331 million in humanitarian and long-term development assistance to help address food insecurity and improve the quality of life for people across the region. $198 million of emergency food assistance and related humanitarian programming such as nutrition, health, and protection, as well as water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions. $95 million of FY 2021 Feed the Future funds that will help smallholder farmers in Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, and Peru improve productivity of high-value horticulture crops, increase incomes, and bolster farmers’ capacity to withstand shocks like higher fertilizer prices and impacts of climate change. An additional $37 million, subject to Congressional approval, will also go toward addressing medium- to long-term term food security and resilience measures in the region. USAID is accelerating ongoing efforts working with smallholder farmers in Latin America to increase their agricultural productivity, diversify their incomes, strengthen market connections, expand access to finance, and improve household level nutrition. Addressing Gender-Based Violence and Advancing Women’s Economic Participation In support of the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to support women’s economic empowerment in Latin America, and prevent and respond to gender-based violence in the region, which is a central pillar of the U.S. Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in Central America: USAID is providing up to $6.5 million in Guatemala will help break the cycle of violence affecting women, youth, LGBTQI+ persons, and Indigenous groups by providing access to violence prevention interventions and to justice, legal and recovery services. USAID will invest up to $2.7 million in Honduras to strengthen access to security and justice for survivors of gender-based violence by emphasizing responsiveness, accountability, and efficiency through targeted institutional reform that will decrease the violence, impunity, and corruption that drive migration. Amazonia Connect In support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to strengthen cooperation on climate action in the Americas, USAID launched the new project Amazonia Connect: USAID will provide up to $12.3 million to promote deforestation-free and climate-smart approaches to commodity production in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Amazonia Connect will advance the Plan to Conserve Global Forests: Critical Carbon Sinks by promoting deforestation-free and climate-smart approaches to commodity production in key Amazonian landscapes in South America. The funds will provide training and monitoring tools to guarantee the production and verification of low-carbon and deforestation-free products. Verified products will then be purchased by private sector companies that have invested directly into deforestation-free production. As Amazonia Connect will mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and conserve important biodiversity while improving livelihoods and enhancing climate resilience, it supports farmers while also protecting the environment. Amazonia Connect will bring existing pockets of supply innovation together with demand for sustainable products to achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions at scale. U.S.-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030 In support of the Biden-Harris Administration's announcement of the U.S.-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030 (PACC 2030): USAID will partner with the people of the Caribbean to facilitate climate adaptation and resilience, support the transition to renewable energy, and bolster energy security and resilience in the region. As part of PACC 2030 and USAID’s ongoing Caribbean Energy Initiative, the new Regional Energy Sector Reform program will help analyze clean energy investment opportunities in the region. Launched in March 2022, the program will work with partners across the region to improve utility performance and reduce policy, regulatory, and legal constraints to private investment in clean energy. USAID continues to work with partners in the Caribbean to implement the reforms needed to spur confident investment in renewable energy. Central American Service Corps In support of the Biden-Harris Administration's announcement of the Central American Service Corps (CASC) initiative to be administered by USAID: USAID’s planned $50 million investment in CASC will address the drivers of irregular migration among those most likely to migrate by engaging youth in locally driven service opportunities, providing a modest stipend, offering work and life skills acquisition, and enhancing young people’s sense of rootedness and commitment to their communities. By supporting life and job skills, offering hope, and building confidence and a sense of belonging for youth, the CASC initiative will generate leadership potential and help foster optimism among youth in Central America that a better future is possible for themselves and for their communities. COVID-⁠19 Pandemic Response and Improving Global Health Security in the Americas In support of the Biden-Harris Administration's announcement of the Global Health Security (GHS) and Americas Health Corps (Fuerza de Salud de las Américas) initiatives: USAID will expand on its COVID-19 activities in the region to invest in global health security initiatives in Peru, Guatemala, and Brazil in 2022, and in FY 2023 will expand programming to seven countries (Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, and Peru). USAID will support these initiatives through existing programing, including virtual training via PAHO for health workers on maternal/prenatal health, tuberculosis prevention/control, malaria, digital health, and training for LAC midwifery cadre. USAID Announces the Interagency Voices (Voces) Initiative at the Civil Society Forum In support of the Biden-Harris Administration's strategy to address the root causes of migration in Central America: Administrator Power announced the launch of the interagency Voices (Voces) Initiative, which will provide approximately $42 million for USAID activities that protect, defend, and promote civic space in Central America. This includes a focus on promoting digital democracy and countering digital authoritarianism; promoting freedom of expression and strengthening independent media; and countering criminalization and providing protection. The U.S. government will work alongside like-minded partners in government, the international community, civil society, the private sector, and beyond to advocate for adherence to international human rights obligations such as freedom of expression and association. USAID, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Labor Guidance on Fair Recruitment Practices for Temporary Migrant Workers In support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to expand lawful pathways through H-2 temporary worker programs: USAID Administrator Samantha Power and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced “Guidance on Fair Recruitment Practices for Temporary Migrant Workers.” The guidance provides principles and guidelines on preventing abuse of prospective workers as the Biden-Harris Administration seeks to expand lawful pathways through the H-2 temporary worker programs. The guidance is part of a multi-agency effort to promote best practices by those countries seeking to increase participation in the H-2A program for temporary agricultural workers and the H-2B program for seasonal non-agricultural workers, as well as recruiters and employers who rely on these programs. Source Link: https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/jun-10-2022-usaid-announcements-ninth-summit-americas

June 14, 2022. WASHINGTON, DC. USCBC President Craig Allen welcomed the election of officers and members to the board of the Council, now in its 49th year of advocating for US companies doing business in China. The US-China Business Council (USCBC) announced the election of officers and board members, including new chair Marc N. Casper, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. “I’m honored to serve the US-China Business Council and work with my fellow board members to strengthen the US-China commercial relationship,” said Casper. “Following on the work of outgoing chairman Tom Linebarger, I plan to engage with American and Chinese leaders—in Washington and Beijing—to support a productive relationship between our two countries based on fairness, respect, and adherence to international legal norms.” USCBC President Craig Allen welcomed the election of officers and members to the board of the Council, now in its 49th year of advocating for US companies doing business in China. “USCBC is fortunate to have Marc lead our board. He oversees a dynamic business that touches on many areas of critical significance in the US-China commercial relationship—technology, life sciences, manufacturing, and R&D. I also want to thank Tom Linebarger for having chaired our board for the last two years.” “Today we are at a consequential moment in US-China relations,” added Allen. “We face a series of inflection points that could profoundly shape the direction of the world’s most important relationship for many years to come.” Allen announced the following new board officers and members. The full list of board members can be found here. Officers Chair Marc N. Casper Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Vice Chairs Darius Adamczyk Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Honeywell Kewsong Lee Chief Executive Officer The Carlyle Group Secretary-Treasurer Jennifer Scanlon President and Chief Executive Officer UL Inc. Counsel Eric C. Emerson Partner Steptoe and Johnson, LLP President Craig Allen President US-China Business Council Directors Marc Allen Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President The Boeing Company Cristiano R. Amon Chief Executive Officer Qualcomm Incorporated Craig Billings CEO Wynn Resorts William S. Cohen Chairman and Chief Executive Officer The Cohen Group John Donahoe President and CEO Nike, Inc. Mary Callahan Erdoes Chief Executive Officer JPMorgan Chase’s Asset & Wealth Management Jim Fitterling Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dow Seifi Ghasemi Chairman, President, and CEO Air Products Lal Karsanbhai President and CEO Emerson Deborah Lehr CEO and Managing Partner Edelman Global Advisory Geoff Martha Chairman and CEO Medtronic Doug McMillon President and CEO Walmart Inc. Eric S. Musser President and COO Corning Incorporated Milind Pant Chief Executive Officer Amway Brian Sikes Chief Operating Officer Cargill Bob Sternfels Global Managing Partner McKinsey & Company Rajesh Subramaniam President and CEO FedEx Corporation Jack P. Williams Senior Vice President Exxon Mobil Corporation Press and Media Contact For press inquiries, contact: Doug Barry USCBC Director of Communications dbarry@uschina.org To sign up to receive our press releases and statements, please contact: Ian Hutchinson USCBC Digital Manager ihutchinson@uschina.org. Source Link: https://www.uschina.org/media/press/us-china-business-council-elects-new-board-members-consequential-time-bilateral-relationship

July 12, 2022. SYDNEY, Australia. But higher interest rates already making impact. CommBank Household Spending Intentions Index tracks the impact of higher prices and interest rate increases, with declines in entertainment, home buying and retail spending. Consumer spending measured by the CommBank Household Spending Intentions Index rose by a modest 0.9 per cent in June to 117.3, while there was clear evidence of weaker discretionary spending following the recent interest rate hikes. The marginal rise in the index – which combines Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) payments and lending data and Google Trends search information – was narrowly based. While the index is now equal to its record high set in March 2022, the gain in June was mainly driven by increased cost of goods and higher spending in the transport, education and household services sectors. Australians returning to the office saw transport spending surge 6.7 per cent in June, due to the higher cost of fuels and an increased use of public transport, car parks, taxis and childcare services. Elevated demand for work clothing also drove increased spending on department stores, dry cleaning and tailoring. While transport spending is up 132.2 per cent on June 2021, it remains well below the pre-pandemic levels. Travel spending intentions rose by 1.5 per cent in June and are up 71.3 per cent on the year, as pent-up demand is unleashed. Travel agencies, cruise lines, airlines, airports, hotels & motels, tourist attractions, sports and recreational camps and bus lines all benefited, although motor home and RV rentals weakened as people looked to holiday further afield. CBA Chief Economist Stephen Halmarick said: “Australian consumer spending remains higher than a year ago, as the economy recovers from the 2021 lockdowns, with the CommBank HSI Index up 11.9 per cent relative to June 2021. “However the index’s modest gain in June was narrowly based, driven mainly by the increased price of many goods and services, such as petrol, which helped drive higher spending on transport, along with increased spending on education and household services. “Interest rate-sensitive sectors of the economy and are clearly starting to show the impact of recent Reserve Bank interest rate increases, with discretionary spending on entertainment, home buying and retail all declining on the month. With further interest rate increases expected through the remainder of 2022, we would expect to see discretionary spending weaken further in coming months.” After last week’s third consecutive monthly increase in interest rates, CBA is forecasting a 25bp hike in August and additional increases over coming months taking cash rate target to 2.1 per cent by end of 2022. CBA’s economics team has trimmed its GDP growth forecast for 2022 to 3.5 per cent (from 4.7 per cent) and expects house prices to fall around 15 per cent from peak-to-trough by end 2023. The CommBank HSI Index combines analysis of CBA payments data (Australia’s largest consumer spending data set covering approximately 40 per cent of payment transactions), loan application information and Google Trends publicly available search activity data. To access this powerful insight into spending trends visit www.commbank.com.au/hsi. Source Link: https://www.commbank.com.au/articles/newsroom/2022/07/consumer-spending-lift-in-June.html

October 15, 2019. BUENO AIRES, Argentina. Grupo Supervielle will be a member of BYMA´s dedicated trading segment that includes stocks of listed companies who voluntarily adhere to corporate governance and transparency-related practices additional to the ones required by the Argentine legislation. BYMA Corporate Governance Panel incorporates a new member to the Panel: Grupo Supervielle. Companies’ adherence is voluntary and implies the fulfillment of a set of requirements aligned with Corporate Governance principles of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), adopted by the G20. Some of this principles include the compliance of gender diversity within the company´s Board of Directors, having a Nominations and Remunerations Committee in place, and a Remuneration Policy, a Nominations Policy, a Dividend Distribution Policy and Integrity Programs in place, among others. Additionally to Grupo Supervielle, BYMA Corporate Governance Panel is currently integrated by BYMA, Pampa Energía and YPF, while other companies are expected to be listed soon. As regards listing procedures, our Corporate Governance Panel has two different levels: the +GC level, integrated by BYMA, Pampa Energía and YPF, and the GC level, integrated by Grupo Supervielle. The difference is that +GC includes companies with one share one vote common shares while GC allows the listing of companies with either common but multiple votes per share or preferred shares. In this sense, Ernesto Allaria, BYMA´s Chairman, said: “We are absolutely committed to comply with best practices on Corporate Governance, since they foster sustainable growth for companies and for their shareholders.” Source Link: https://www.byma.com.ar/en/news/byma-corporate-governance-panel-incorporates-new-member-grupo-supervielle/

May 20, 2022. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia. The investment into Malaysia by a reputable foreign investor is a further sign of confidence in the country. Khazanah Nasional Berhad (“Khazanah”) has entered into a strategic partnership with SK ecoplant Co. Ltd. (“SK ecoplant”) of South Korea to accelerate Cenviro Sdn Bhd’s (“Cenviro”) growth into a regional waste management powerhouse. Following a multilateral bid process, SK ecoplant was selected as the optimal minority shareholding partner to support Cenviro in its next level of strategic growth, in line with the aspirations of the industrial development of the national waste management sector. This strategic partnership is in line with Khazanah’s new long-term strategy under the ambit of Advancing Malaysia which was announced at the Khazanah Annual Review in March 2022. Among others, Khazanah will undertake key initiatives to deliver impactful outcomes for the nation, including representing Malaysia at the global stage to facilitate flows of knowledge, networks, and investment opportunities. It is also in line with Khazanah’s strategy of creating a sustainable future where it hopes to play a leading role in shaping an equitable and responsible environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) transition for Corporate Malaysia. Cenviro is currently Malaysia’s leading circular waste management solutions provider, operating mainly in treatment & disposal, recycling & recovery of scheduled waste, and is highly driven towards ESG best practices. This partnership is a significant step along Cenviro’s strategic roadmap for the region, combining SK ecoplant’s operational and technological capabilities with Cenviro’s robust local footprint. Both Khazanah and SK ecoplant believe that the partnership will reinforce Cenviro’s position as a leading scheduled waste management platform, facilitating its growth and creating value for all stakeholders. The investment into Malaysia by a reputable foreign investor is a further sign of confidence in the country. Khazanah Managing Director, Dato’ Amirul Feisal Wan Zahir said, “For over 30 years, Cenviro has been the local leader in Malaysia’s integrated waste management sector. Our partnership with SK ecoplant, will further elevate Cenviro’s business to be world class and at the forefront of the sustainable waste management and recovery in the region.” “The growth plan for Cenviro echoes Khazanah’s mandate to develop globally competitive companies that are anchored on sustainability within our stable”, he added. Meanwhile, a representative from SK ecoplant said: “We, SK ecoplant, as the No. 1 eco-friendly business platform in South Korea, have gained a steppingstone for further growth within Asia. This partnership is aligned with SK ecoplant’s long-term plan to grow its business arising from the various technologies and solutions it has obtained.” According to Cenviro Managing Director, Dr. Johari Jalil, as the leading integrated waste management platform, Cenviro continuously looks for ways to evolve the region’s waste management ecosystem. “The partnership will strengthen our operational and technological capabilities, elevate our end-to-end waste management solutions and bring greater value to our customers,” he said. Upon completion, the strategic partnership will see SK ecoplant hold a 30% stake in Cenviro while Khazanah continues to be the majority shareholder of the waste management company. Regulatory approvals will be sought as part of this transaction. Notwithstanding this, Cenviro will continue to run its operations as usual. Khazanah is advised by BNP Paribas as financial advisor and Zaid Ibrahim & Co as legal advisor for the transaction. SK ecoplant has over 44 years of experience in eco-friendly businesses in the field of integrated waste management, energy, engineering, and construction with leading technologies and construction capabilities, with a global presence in 15 countries. SK ecoplant’s global experience in waste management and continuous drive to strengthen its ESG credentials are key factors that would help guide Cenviro in achieving its aspirations in becoming a regional leader in the waste management industry. END Source Link: https://www.khazanah.com.my/news_press_releases/khazanah-forms-strategic-partnership-to-grow-cenviro-into-regional-resource-management-champion/