Category: Uncategorized

KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 (Bernama) — Cisco AppDynamics recently released the latest report in its App Attention Index research series, revealing consumer reliance on applications and digital services has soared since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The global study, which examined the digital behaviours of over 13,000 global consumers, also identified consumers now have a zero-tolerance policy for poor application experience and automatically place blame on the application and brand, no matter where a performance issue stems from.

Since the start of 2020, consumers have experienced a sudden and total reliance on digital services, altering how they engage with brands, consume goods and services, and make purchasing decisions.

In fact, the research shows that people are using 30 per cent more applications today than they did before the pandemic, according to a statement.

The research highlights that because of their increasing reliance and use of digital services, 76 per cent of consumers say their expectations of digital services have increased since the start of 2020.

Alarmingly for brands, when expectations aren’t met, 60 per cent of consumers will now automatically blame the application and the brand no matter where the issue actually lives.

Consumers have not only come to rely on applications and digital services to function in everyday life, but they also used them to facilitate social interactions in the absence of traditional ways of connecting in person.

The research found that the majority of consumers (85 per cent) say that digital services have become a critical part of daily life, with 84 per cent stating those services helped them get through the pandemic in a positive way.

In addition, 61 per cent of consumers now state their expectations for digital services have changed forever and they will no longer tolerate poor performance, while 73 per cent of consumers state that even as life returns to normal, they know they will continue to rely on the digital services they utilised during the pandemic.

The research included interviews with more than 13,000 consumers, in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, which was conducted by Insight Avenue in June.

— BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — The Government of Japan’s Cabinet Office has announced organising the Society 5.0 Expo jointly with the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) from July 15 at TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN® in Tokyo, Japan.

This is expected to be Japan’s first major expo to focus on Society 5.0, whereby the expo will also be viewable online with multilingual explanations for the global audience, according to a statement.

The expo will showcase the Society 5.0 concept proposed by the Japanese government as a highly desirable future society.

The concept envisions the creation of a human-centred society in which all industries and other areas of society adopt AI, IoT, robots, big data and other innovative technologies to overcome critical challenges.

The Cabinet Office’s 6th Science, Technology and Innovation Basic Plan covering fiscal 2021 to 2025 sets forth the direction of science, technology and innovation policies to secure sustainability, resilience and the well-being of diverse individuals.

The expo will present achievements being realised through national projects focused on increasing innovation in society, including the cross-ministerial strategic innovation promotion programme (SIP) and the ImPACT programme for stimulating high-risk, high-impact R&D.

Specifically, some 50 leading Japanese companies, universities and organisations will exhibit approximately 200 products and research achievements that are expected to contribute not only to Society 5.0 but also the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The exhibits will cover fields such as mobility, healthcare and caregiving, manufacturing, agriculture, food, disaster prevention and energy, including Asteroid-explorer Hayabusa2’s returned capsule; SkyDrive flying car; and, Honda Legend Level-3 autonomous vehicle with high-definition 3D mapping.

International viewers will be welcome to enjoy the many exhibits viewable online via mobile devices and PCs, supported with explanations available in a number of languages.

The organisers will be pleased to present the virtual exhibition as an opportunity for the global community to learn more about Japan’s forward-looking Society 5.0 concept.

— BERNAMA

Malaysian Student’s Social & Humanitarian Efforts Recognised by UK Royals

KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 (Bernama) — Methodist College Kuala Lumpur (MCKL) Alumnus, Choo Yi Kang has become the pride of the nation when he was listed among over 300 recipients of the United Kingdom’s 2021 Diana Award for his active involvement and contribution involving social actions and humanitarian work.

Choo Yi Kang may be only twenty-two (22), but he is truly passionate about humanitarian and social work initiatives to help young Malaysians in the UK and other young adults going through various social issues. It is that passion that has garnered the MCKL alumnus the esteemed Diana Award recently during the virtual award ceremony.

The Diana Award was set up in 1999 to continue the legacy of the late Princess Diana. It recognises young people aged between nine and 25 who are active in social or humanitarian work around the globe.

Yi launched the Welfare Task Force for Malaysian Students Abroad where he provided valuable support to young people who couldn’t return home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, or who were experiencing mental health challenges as a result of being isolated in a foreign country.

Besides that, Yi is also a trained volunteer counsellor for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). As part of his role, Yi supports young people in the UK on various important issues including bullying, abuse, self-harm, and family relationships, according to diana-award.org.uk/roll-of-honour-2021/.

Choo Yi Kang, who hails from Kuala Lumpur and currently studying LLB Law at Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom, said he was nominated for the award by the One Young World team.

“I am super grateful and honoured to be receiving this prestigious award. I would also hope to leverage this award to strongly encourage more young people out there to never stop dedicating your time and effort to contribute to meaningful voluntary work within your local communities!”

Being an MCKL alumnus where Service Learning and Character Formation is highly emphasised as part of the MCKL DNA, Yi said “these courses definitely equipped me with the experience & skills to further improve other volunteering work that I have been doing during my free time.”

In a surprise address at a virtual award ceremony for The Diana Award, the Duke of Sussex Prince Harry honoured all the recipients from across the world for going above and beyond in their daily lives to create and sustain positive change.

“Our mum believed that young people have the power to change the world. She believed in your strength because she saw it day in and day out and in the faces of young people exactly like you, she witnessed a boundless enthusiasm and passion,” he said.

About Methodist College Kuala Lumpur

Visit: https://www.mckl.edu.my/page/318/ABOUT-MCKL/

Source: Methodist College Kuala Lumpur

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=40518

KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 (Bernama) — The International Urban Design Competition of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Innovation Cooperation Demonstration Zone was recently announced by Guangzhou Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau and Nansha District People’s Government of Guangzhou City.

The competition is aimed at collecting forward-looking, innovative urban designs worldwide, and establishing the city image of Nansha as the southernmost sea-land portal of Guangzhou.

The registration time of the competition is from July 13 to Aug 3, according to a statement.

The design area of the competition, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Innovation Cooperation Demonstration Zone, is the intersection of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong and Guangzhou-Zhuhai-Macao Science and Technology Innovation Corridors.

It is also the strategic hinge connecting the inner circle development belt around the Greater Bay Area in the southern expansion urban spatial development strategy of Guangzhou.

The scope of the competition is divided into two levels: overall conceptual design and detailed design. The scope of the overall conceptual design covers an area of about 71 square kilometres, while the scope of the detailed design covers an area of about eight square kilometres.

The competition will finally select the first six design institutions as the participating institutions and vote the three winning schemes from them. One participating institution will be determined to win the right of integrating and optimising the competition results.

— BERNAMA

Mississauga, Canada, July 8 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mississauga, Canada— Hatch employees came together in an eight-week-long campaign to raise funds in support of COVAX, helping them progress towards their goal of procuring and delivering 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines globally. Through the employees’ generous donations and a corporate match, $C1 million was raised! 

COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization, alongside key delivery partner, UNICEF. Its aim is to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world.  

Unfortunately, many countries do not have the ability to maintain progress or even start. It is clear the pandemic will not truly end until all countries have equitable access to vaccines. UNICEF is working with manufacturers and partners on the procurement and delivery of vaccine doses, as well as freight, logistics, and storage for countries around the world. With Hatch’s donation, UNICEF will be able to fully vaccinate (two doses) more than 187,000 people worldwide. 

“To end this pandemic, we need to think globally and act locally to make a difference beyond our families and our company—this is the basis of real positive change around the world. As a global company, we are engaging great people who make a difference every day in their communities, with our clients, and with each  other. Together, we saw the imperative to support the world’s largest mass health campaign to stop the COVID-19 virus and move forward into a better future,” shared John Bianchini, Hatch’s Chairman and CEO. 

“On behalf of UNICEF, I would like to thank Hatch for its support in ensuring widespread and equitable delivery of COVID-19 vaccines. They stepped up to help UNICEF in its efforts to deliver the largest fastest immunization campaign in history. We are grateful to Hatch employees for their contributions and to Hatch for increasing the impact by matching every dollar raised,” shared David Morley, UNICEF Canada’s President and CEO. 

Hatch is committed to doing its part to support efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Hatch also recently sponsored the “This is our Shot” movement, a consortium of grassroots organizations, Canadian businesses, associations, healthcare professionals, community leaders, and influencers focused on educating and inspiring Canadians so that vaccine hesitancy is replaced with confidence.  

To learn more about how Hatch continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit our COVID-19 Information Center. 

To learn more about the UNICEF COVAX campaign, click here. 

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About Hatch 

Whatever our clients envision, our professional teams can design and build. With over six decades of business and technical experience in the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors, we know your business and understand that your challenges are changing rapidly. We respond quickly with solutions that are smarter, more efficient, and innovative. We draw upon our 9,500 staff with experience in over 150 countries to challenge the status quo and create positive change for our clients, our employees, and the communities we serve. 

Find out more on www.hatch.com. 

Lindsay Janca
Hatch
19054034199
media@hatch.com

Source: Hatch Ltd

–BERNAMA