Day: October 12, 2021

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MENA Press Releases

IST Networks collaborates with Automation Anywhere to provide RPA services in the Middle East

BANGALORE, India, Oct. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — IST Networks announced a collaboration with Automation Anywhere, a global leader in Robotic Process Automation (RPA), to provide RPA services in the Middle East. The partnership will enable IST’s clients to automate key business processes and enhance customer engagement across their organizations.

IST has been delivering exceptional customer experience (CX) technology solutions since 2002, working with cutting edge CX technologies and vendors in the market to empower their clients’ CX programs. Partnering with Automation Anywhere will enable IST to deliver bold digital transformational solutions to existing and potential customers within the customer engagement space using Automation 360, a cloud-native, web-based, AI-powered automation platform that leads the way in the ‘Digital-first’ era.

As a result of its collaboration with Automation Anywhere, IST Networks continues to build its fast-growing solution portfolio of customer experience technology.  IST will offer the benefits of using the Automation 360 RPA platform, drawing from their experience in the contact centre & customer engagement field. With IST’s CX experience and RPA expertise from Automation Anywhere, the potential of a complete digital transformation of organisations’ contact centres and customer facing processes will be released.

The Automation 360 RPA platform provides over 100 implemented use cases to automate business processes across all systems and applications, including both SaaS and legacy apps.

“The ongoing pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital transformation technologies including the automation of repetitive and mundane tasks to unlock innovation,” said Milan Sheth, Executive Vice President, IMEA, Automation Anywhere. “With cloud-native, intelligent automation, applications can seamlessly connect across modern and legacy systems enabling employees to work more efficiently, solve problems and be more productive.”

“We’ve studied the RPA market in the Middle East and concluded that most RPA programs undertaken in the Middle East were focused on back-office processes such as invoicing, finance, and HR functions. We believe we can bring the benefits of RPA experience in back office operations, such as efficiency, speed, and ROI, to the customer-facing processes, like front office, contact centre, and customer engagement teams. Combining IST’s 20 years of customer engagement experience and Automation Anywhere’s RPA leadership in the global and Middle East local markets, we believe we will unlock Next Gen automated customer engagement,” said Mohamed Fahmy, CEO, IST Networks.

Contact IST Networks here to find out how IST & Automation Anywhere can help your organization with its automation needs.

To learn more about Automation Anywhere, please visit www.automationanywhere.com

ABOUT IST Networks

IST is an Award-Winning Customer Experience (CX) Systems Integrator dedicated to delivering localized CX Solutions to all verticals within the Middle East and Turkey. IST employs over 250 personnel across six countries, making IST the largest dedicated CX Solution provider in the region.

IST’s portfolio of products and services include: Contact Centre (Cloud, Hybrid or on-Prem), Customer Engagement Systems (Cloud or on-Prem), Contact Centre Agent Desktops, Speech and Language (Arabic and English), Mobile Transactional Security, Digital Signage, Workforce Management, Workload Distribution, Customer Journey Analytics, Robotics Process Automation, Enterprise Mobile Apps, Customer Feedback Management and many more.

IST has received many industry awards from leading experts in several key areas: Innovation and R&D, Service Delivery, Project Implementation, and Customer Satisfaction.
www.istnetworks.com

Categories
MENA Press Releases

Apical Secures First Sustainability-Linked Loan Facilities of US$750 million

DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Apical Group, a leading agri-business processor of palm oil and member of the RGE group of companies, has secured a US$750 million sustainability-linked loan from a syndicate of lenders. First Abu Dhabi Bank is the Mandate Lead Arranger Bank and Facility Agent for the loan. This is a first for Apical, and one of a few within the palm oil industry, where borrowing is tied to sustainability targets and performance.

Apical logo

The loan, issued to Apical’s units Apical Middle East and AAA Oils & Fats Pte Ltd, is structured as a two-year revolving credit and four-year term loan facilities. Under the facilities, Apical is committed to meeting improvement targets for a range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics, as assessed by Environmental Resources Management, a London-headquartered global provider of environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues consulting services.

Fawaz Abusneineh, Acting Head of Global Corporate Finance, First Abu Dhabi Bank, commented, “We congratulate Apical on this achievement. ESG is an increasing focus for borrowers and investors globally and it reflects very highly on Apical being amongst the first names in Asia, and companies in its industry sector, to embrace this. I am confident that such forward-thinking commitment to achieving its sustainability goals will position Apical advantageously for the future.”

The targets are based on Apical’s commitment to ensure a sustainable supply chain. Performance against the pre-determined targets will be assessed on an annual basis for the loan period, and incentives awarded accordingly. The loan will be used to finance working capital and capital expenditure requirements of Apical Group.

Apical’s Executive Director, Pratheepan Karunagaran, said, “This is a milestone for Apical and a testament to the commitment and confidence we have in our ESG performance. The spirit of continuous improvement is deeply rooted in our corporate culture and we are motivated to perform even better to deliver against the loan targets set. We are grateful for the enthusiasm of our financiers and hope that our success will serve as a catalyst in further developing sustainability-linked financing in the sector.”

The loan facilities received overwhelming demand with participation from 22 banks in nine countries. Among the Mandate Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners are First Abu Dhabi Bank, E.Sun Commercial Bank, Ltd, Mega International Commercial Bank Co., Ltd, MUFG Bank, Ltd, Bank Sinopac, and Taishin International Bank Co., Ltd.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1656886/Apical_Logo_Logo.jpg

Categories
MENA Press Releases

HUAWEI Quick App Boosts Commercialization through Ad Monetization

SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — HUAWEI Ads Publisher Service has officially supported quick apps. The platform leverages Huawei’s robust platform and data capabilities to help developers earn revenue by accessing and displaying targeted, high-quality and high-value ad content in their quick apps.

Massive traffic and high conversion

Quick apps are installation-free and can be tapped open from any location such as HUAWEI AppGallery, Huawei Quick App Center, or HUAWEI Assistant·Today, on diverse Huawei devices, including mobile phones, PCs, tablets, head units, and Visions. Meanwhile, user acquisition, activation, and retention can be achieved with ease as quick apps allow instant access to services and content. All these advantages attract hundreds of millions of monthly active users. As of June 30, 2021, developers worldwide had developed 8,700 quick apps, with a YoY growth of 190%; while the number of HUAWEI Quick App monthly active users exceeded 150 million, with a YoY increase of 114%.

Extensive ad formats

HUAWEI Quick App supports a variety of ad formats:

  • Native ad: fits seamlessly into the content of an app. These ads are naturally appear, so that users are generally more willing to view the ad content.
  • Rewarded ad: offers users in-app rewards for watching videos in their entirety.
  • Banner ad: rectangular images that occupy a spot within an app’s layout, either at the top, middle, or bottom of the device screen. Banner ads refresh automatically at regular intervals. When a user clicks a banner ad, the user is redirected to the advertiser’s page.
  • Interstitial ad: pops up in full screen when users start, pause, or exit apps.
HUAWEI Quick App: Extensive Ad Formats

Wide-ranging ad resources

By accessing HUAWEI Ads Publisher Service, quick app developers get access to a plethora of ad resources. Based on the large user base of Huawei devices, HUAWEI Ads managed to integrate resources from Huawei itself, HMS pioneering developers, and advertisers, making it easy and fast for developers to obtain premium ad content and start monetizing their business.

HUAWEI Quick App plans to offer more diversified and extensive ad formats to enrich the forms of ad presentation, offering more ways for monetization. To learn more about the ad services of HUAWEI Quick App, visit HUAWEI Developers.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1657150/HUAWEI_Quick_App_Extensive_Ad_Formats.jpg

Categories
Arabic MENA Press Releases

‫شي جين بينغ يُعلن لمّ الشمل ضرورة ملحة من أجل تجديد شباب الصين في الذكرى ثورة 1911

بكين، 11 أكتوبر 2021 /PRNewswire/ — منذ مائة وعشرة أعوام، أطلق الثوار الصينيون بقيادة الدكتور صن يات صن ثورة عام 1911، مما يمثل علامة فارقة في الرحلة الطويلة والشاقة لتحقيق تجديد شباب الصينيين الأمة.

وفي حديثه في اجتماع تذكاري يوم السبت لإحياء الذكرى 110 للثورة، دعا الرئيس الصيني شي جين بينغ إلى استخلاص الدروس من الماضي عند تحقيق لم الشمل الكامل للصين والمضي قدمًا في قضية النهضة الوطنية العظيمة.

صرح الرئيس شي، وهو أيضا الأمين العام للجنة المركزية للحزب الشيوعي الصيني ورئيس اللجنة العسكرية المركزية، “بالنسبة لجميع الصينيين، فإن تحقيق التجديد الوطني ليس شرفًا مشتركًا فحسب، بل هو أيضًا مهمة مشتركة”.

“يجب لم شمل الصين، وسيكون ذلك”

لقد أكد الرئيس شي مجددا على الالتزامات بالسعي من أجل لم الشمل الوطني بالوسائل السلمية، قائلا إن ذلك يخدم مصالح المواطنين عبر مضيق تايوان وكذلك الأمة الصينية، بينما حذر من أن “استقلال تايوان” يتعارض مع اتجاه التاريخ وسيؤدي إلى نهاية مميتة.

كما صرح الرئيس شي في خطابه في قاعة الشعب الكبرى في بكين، قائلًا: “إن قضية تايوان نشأت من ضعف وفوضى أمتنا، وسوف يتم حلها عندما يصبح تجديد الشباب الوطني حقيقة واقعة”؛ مضيفا أن لم الشمل عبر المضيق هي الإرادة المشتركة لجميع الصينيين.

وأشار الرئيس شي إلى أن البر الرئيسي يلتزم بالسياسات الأساسية لإعادة التوحيد السلمي ودولة واحدة ونظامان، ويتمسك بسياسة صين واحدة وتوافق عام 1992 ويعمل من أجل التنمية السلمية للعلاقات عبر المضيق.

وفي إشارة إلى أن الأمة الصينية لديها تقليد مشرف في معارضة الانقسام والحفاظ على الوحدة، أضاف أن “الانفصال الذي يستهدف” استقلال تايوان “هو أكبر عقبة أمام لم الشمل الوطني وخطر جسيم على النهضة الوطنية”.

كما شدد على أن مسألة تايوان شأن داخلي للصين ولا تقبل أي تدخل خارجي، وأعرب عن ثقته في أن “لم الشمل الكامل لبلادنا سوف تتحقق ويمكن أن تتحقق”.

الحتمية التاريخية

متلهفًا لمستقبل مشرق للأمة الصينية، كتب صن ذات مرة: “إذا اعتقدت أن شيئًا ما يمكن تحقيقه، حتى لو كان صعبًا مثل تحريك جبل أو تجفيف البحر، فسوف أحققه يومًا ما”.

وفي إشارة إلى هذه الكلمات، صرح شي يوم السبت إنه بعد سنوات من العمل الجاد، أصبح لم الشمل الوطني في الصين حتمية تاريخية، مع وجود مؤسسات أقوى وأسس مادية أقوى وعقلية أكثر استباقية.

وأضاف أن “السنوات الـ 110 الماضية أظهرت لنا أنه من أجل تحقيق لم الشمل الوطني، يجب على الشعب الصيني امتلاك قوة دافعة شديدة لقيادتنا إلى الأمام، وهذه القوة هي الحزب الشيوعي الصيني”.

وأشار إلى أنه في طريق لم الشمل الوطني، “أثبتت الاشتراكية ذات الخصائص الصينية أنها الطريق الصحيح والوحيد”.

كما حث الشعب الصيني على الاعتماد على جهودهم البطولية. وأعلن قائلًا “بالشجاعة والمهارة، سنتغلب على جميع المخاطر والتحديات الرئيسية التي قد تعيق طريقنا نحو التجديد الوطني ونحمي بحزم سيادتنا الوطنية وأمننا ومصالحنا التنموية”.

لقد حث الرئيس شي الشعب الصيني والأمة الصينية على تعلم الدروس الوطنية من ثورة 1911، والبقاء معا في السراء والضراء، والاعتماد على الوحدة القوية للتغلب على المخاطر والتحديات على الطريق المقبلة.

وقال شي إن تحقيق لم الشمل الوطني لا يحتاج فقط إلى بيئة محلية مستقرة وموحدة، ولكن أيضا بيئة دولية سلمية ومستقرة.

وأشار إلى أن “العدوان والهيمنة ليسا في دماء الشعب الصيني”، مضيفا أن الصين ستظل نصيرا للسلام العالمي، ومساهما في التنمية العالمية، ومدافعا عن النظام الدولي، وسنفعل أفضل ما بوسعنا من أجل لتقديم مساهمات أكبر للإنسانية.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-10-09/Xi-delivers-speech-at-event-marking-1911-Revolution-anniversary-14ddra598o8/index.html

الفيديو – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvTiX5QwYcc

Categories
Affairs

IMF expects 2.7% growth in Jordan economy 2022

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Tuesday it expects a 2 percent growth rate in Jordan in 2021 and was more optimistic about 2022, upping the figure to 2.7.

In its economic report titled “Recovery during the Pandemic,” published today, the IMF expected Jordan’s economy to grow 3.1 percent in 2023. It also expected Middle East growth to hit 4.1 percent in 2022.

The report indicated the global economy is on an upward trajectory; however, the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed its progress, adding this led to lowering its expectation for global growth in 2022 from 5.9 percent to 4.9 percent.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Affairs

Minister says unemployment at unprecedented levels, urges cross-sector synergy

Newly-appointed Minister of Labor Nayef Istaiteh said Tuesday that national unemployment rates have seen unprecedented increases, and stressed the need for an all-encompassing effort to address this problem.

In a meeting at the Amman Chamber of Commerce, Istaiteh revealed that the ministry is on the path to build a clear-cut strategy that will serve as a reference document for the introduction of sub plans targeting the various sectors of the economy.

The minister said closer public-private synergy is needed to address the unemployment problem, noting that about 95 percent of private sector institutions are small and medium enterprises providing most jobs in the economy.

In turn, the head of Amman Chamber of Commerce Khalil Al-Haj Tawfiq stressed that everyone should move to deal with unemployment, which is the main challenge facing the national economy, calling for an integrated action on the ground.

He noted the need to support sectors affected by coronavirus pandemic through new programs that enable them to ensure business sustainability and retain their employees, calling for involving the private sector in all economic decisions taken by the Government.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Health

Global COVID fatalities near 5 million

World Health Organisation (WHO) Tuesday said COVID-19 has killed close to 5 million people across the world so far.

WHO said in a statement more than 238 million people have tested positive for the highly contagious respiratory disease since the pandemic broke out in 2019.

The UN organisation is estimating the actual number of global COVID infections could go as high as threefold the official numbers indicate.

The US is one of the hardest hit countries, with 714,060 fatalities and more than 44 million recorded infections, followed by Brazil, with 601,213 deaths and 21.5 million infections, it added.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Health

9 new virus deaths, 1,191 cases recorded Tuesday

Nine coronavirus deaths and 1,191 infections were recorded across the Kingdom Tuesday, bringing the death toll from the pandemic to 10,827 and the total number of cases to 835,969, the Health Ministry said.

It said in its daily brief that positive Covid-19 tests were today at 3.91 per cent and the number of active cases reached 14,129, including 73 that were admitted to hospitals, while 60 were discharged. A total of 469 confirmed cases are currently hospitalized, it added.

According to the report, the occupancy rate of isolation beds in the northern region was 8 per cent, intensive care beds 30 per cent and respirators 13 per cent.

In the central region, the occupancy rate of isolation beds was 12 per cent, intensive care beds 23 per cent and respirators 8 per cent, it said.

In the southern region, the occupancy rate of isolation beds was 8 per cent, intensive care beds 19 per cent and respirators 15 per cent, it added.

The daily brief indicated that 1,052 Covid-19 patients have recovered, bringing the total number of expected recoveries after the end of the two-week isolation period to 811,013.

It also stated that 30,456 PCR tests were collected today, bringing the total number of examinations conducted since the beginning of the pandemic to 10,404,370.

It said that the number of people who got the first vaccine shot climbed to 3,799,686 and those who were double-jabbed rose to 3,385,572.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
General

Jordan takes part in UN biodiversity conference in China

Jordan is participating in the United Nations Biodiversity Conference “COP 15”, which kicked off on Tuesday in the Chinese city of Kunming, to discuss solutions to improve environmental protection.

During the conference, China’s President Xi Jinping said that biodiversity makes Earth full of vigor and vitality, and lays the foundation for human survival and development, adding that protecting biodiversity helps protect Earth and contributes to humanity’s sustainable development.

“China will continue to readjust its industrial structure and energy mix, vigorously develop renewable energy, and make faster progress in planning and developing large wind power and photovoltaic bases in sandy and rocky areas and deserts. The first phase of projects with an installed capacity of approximately 100 million kilowatts have recently started construction in a smooth fashion,” he said.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Categories
Government Policy

King holds talks with Qatar emir in Doha

His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday held talks with Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, covering the deep-rooted bilateral relations, and the latest regional and international developments.

King Abdullah and Sheikh Tamim reaffirmed the distinguished ties between the two countries and peoples, and keenness to bolster them across the political, economic, investment, development, and cultural fields, while also increasing employment opportunities for Jordanians in Qatar.

His Majesty thanked Sheikh Tamim for the warm welcome, noting that this visit sends an important message to the two peoples.

For his part, Sheikh Tamim welcomed the King, stressing the deep-rooted ties between the two countries.

Discussions at the expanded talks, which were followed by a bilateral meeting, covered the need to continue coordination and consultation on various issues of mutual concern, foremost of which is the Palestinian cause.

During the talks, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, His Majesty reaffirmed the centrality of the Palestinian cause, and the importance of stepping up efforts towards reaching just and comprehensive peace, on the basis of the two-state solution, guaranteeing the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and viable Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The King stressed the importance of ramping up efforts to reach this solution, as the only means of achieving security, stability, and lasting peace in the region, noting that Jordan will continue all efforts to safeguard Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, under the Hashemite Custodianship.

The talks also addressed developments in Syria, with His Majesty reiterating Jordan’s support for efforts to safeguard Syria’s sovereignty, stability, territorial integrity, and the unity of its people.

Moreover, discussions covered efforts to reach political solutions to regional crises.

Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan, General Intelligence Department Director Maj. Gen. Ahmad Husni, and Jordan’s Ambassador to Qatar Zeid Al Louzi attended the meeting on the Jordanian side.

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, a number of senior Qatari officials, and Qatar’s Ambassador to Jordan Sheikh Saud bin Nasser Al Thani attended the meeting on the Qatari side.

On the sidelines of the visit, an agreement on visa exemptions for diplomatic passport holders, and a memorandum of understanding between the Qatar Investment Authority and the Jordan Government Investments Management Company were signed.

Source: Jordan News Agency