Doha, Qatar - Monday, October 10th 2016 [ME NewsWire] QNB Group, the largest bank in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, announced its results for the nine months ended 30 September 2016. For the nine months ended 30 September 2016, Net Profit reached QAR9.7 billion (USD 2.7 billion), up by 11% compared to last year. Total assets reached QAR713 billion (USD196 billion), up by 37% from September 2015, the highest ever achieved by the Group. QNB Group completed the acquisition of 99.88% stake in Finansbank A.Ş. – Turkey, during the year. The growth in assets was driven by loans and advances which grew by 38% to reach QAR507 billion (USD139 billion). At the same time QNB Group increased its customer funding by 31% to QAR501 billion (USD138 billion). This led to the Group’s loans to deposit ratio reaching 101.3%. QNB Group’s prudent cost control policy and strong revenue generating capability allowed it to maintain an efficiency ratio (cost to income ratio) of 30%, which is consi ... Read more »

- Collaboration to generate tumor targeting drug conjugates and immuno-oncology therapeutics- CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom & CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & OSAKA, Japan - Monday, October 10th 2016 [ME NewsWire] -Takeda makes investment in Crescendo- (BUSINESS WIRE)-- Crescendo Biologics Limited (Crescendo), the drug discovery and developer of Humabody®-based therapeutics, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE: 4502) today announced a global, strategic, multi-target collaboration and license agreement for the discovery, development and commercialization of Humabody® -based therapeutics for cancer indications with a high unmet medical need. Crescendo will use its proprietary transgenic platform and engineering expertise to discover and optimally configure Humabody® candidates (Humabody® Drug Conjugates and Immuno-Oncology modulators) against multiple targets selected by Takeda. “We see significant potential in Crescendo and its innovative technology to develop unique, small and customizab ... Read more »

Producing farmlands will increase volumes of current products and offer future development potential WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. - Monday, October 10th 2016 [ME NewsWire] (BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dole Food Company announces the acquisition of the TucFrut farms and packing facilities in the Molina and Linares areas of Chile. The TucFrut property, located 140 miles South of Santiago, consists of five different farms spread over 1,000 hectares (2,400 acres) and currently produces apples, blueberries and kiwifruit on over 660 hectares (1,600 acres). “With the acquisition of TucFrut we are strengthening our leadership of Dole’s Chilean deciduous export business and diversified fruit operations,” says Johan Linden, President and COO of Dole Food Company. “Dole Chile has been a success story for Dole since the 1980s based on our grower supply and a worldwide distribution under the Dole label.” The TucFrut farm will strengthen Dole’s current product portfolio with premium apple varieties and kiwifr ... Read more »

–Used in combination with a Yokogawa analytical service to ensure high product quality– TOKYO - Thursday, October 6th 2016 [ME NewsWire] (BUSINESS WIRE)-- Yokogawa Electric Corporation (TOKYO:6841) announces that it has developed Process Data Analytics, an application program that can detect a decline in quality or productivity at an early stage of the manufacturing process by analyzing process data, facility status information, operation history, and other data. Used in combination with Yokogawa’s analytical services, this software is a quality stabilization solution that can help companies stabilize and continuously improve the quality of their products. This software will be released for sale in March 2017. Development Background While working to quickly respond to a diverse array of market needs, manufacturers face a growing need to stabilize the quality of the products coming off their production lines. Product quality is affected by factors such as fluctuations in the qualit ... Read more »

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Sunday, October 9th 2016 [ME NewsWire] A global digital campaign focussed on spreading awareness around handwashing habits Pledges to educate a child About Healthy Handwashing Habits for every share Achieving its biggest ever Healthy Hands chain Considered as the gold standard in germ protection, Dettol has been committed towards spreading the awareness around hand hygiene amongst children across the globe. As a part of the Global Handwashing Day celebrations, Dettol has launched a global campaign which aims to reach out to millions of people across 19 countries and educate them about importance of handwashing. Led by digital, the campaign emphasises on creating a big impact of saving lives by taking small steps like inculcating good hand washing habits. Global Handwashing Day is an annual global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an easy, effective, and affordable way to ... Read more »

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Monday, October 10th 2016 [ME NewsWire] ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) today takes a major step forward in shaping the future of accountancy by unveiling major innovations to its Master’s level qualification, tailored to meet the strategic challenges of the 21st century’s disruptive economy. ACCA’s new ground-breaking design of its qualification draws on an extensive, two-year review and consultation with members, employers and learning providers. Helen Brand OBE, chief executive of ACCA, says: ‘Our ground-breaking redesign of the ACCA Qualification will give students the forward-thinking strategic abilities and advanced skill-set required of modern professional accountants who will shape the future of global business.’ Lindsay Degouve de Nuncques, head of ACCA Middle East says: ‘The Middle East economy is dynamic, so it needs dynamic professionals who are strategic and forward looking. I believe that ACCA qualified accountan ... Read more »

New Flagship GSMA Intelligence Report Identifies Megatrends Shaping Mobile Ecosystem LONDON - Thursday, October 6th 2016 [ME NewsWire] (BUSINESS WIRE)-- The GSMA today launched its inaugural ‘Global Mobile Trends’ report, offering a vast wealth of data and insight on the state of the mobile ecosystem today and mapping out its future development. This flagship report, produced by GSMA Intelligence, the research arm of the GSMA, compiles data on mobile subscriber growth trends, mobile internet adoption, devices, and industry financials from both a global and regional perspective. “This first edition of the annual Global Mobile Trends report pulls together key data and analysis from GSMA Intelligence to present a comprehensive view of the megatrends shaping the global mobile ecosystem,” said Hyunmi Yang, Chief Strategy Officer at the GSMA. “In this year’s report we demonstrate evidence of a major shift in mobile to Asia, particularly India, which has now overtaken China to become the ... Read more »

ZURICH - Tuesday, October 4th 2016 [ME NewsWire] Aibel to take turnkey Engineering, Procurement and Construction responsibility for offshore platforms ABB to focus on delivering core high voltage direct current technology (BUSINESS WIRE)-- ABB and Aibel today announced a strategic partnership to deliver state-of-the-art offshore wind integration solutions. ABB will focus on its proven high voltage direct current (HVDC) technology, while Aibel will take turnkey Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) responsibility for the design, construction, installation and commissioning of the offshore platforms. The partnership will combine the core competencies of the two companies to deliver best-in-class solutions. The partners will collaborate on the design, engineering and optimization of offshore wind connections. “We are proud to partner with Aibel to tap the vast opportunities of the ongoing Energy Revolution and related offshore wind infrastructure investments. Together, we i ... Read more »

Oshkosh Integrates Advanced Weapons, C4ISR Suites into JLTV and M-ATV to Bring New Capabilities to the Mission OSHKOSH, Wis. - Wednesday, October 5th 2016 [ME NewsWire] (BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oshkosh Defense, LLC, an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK) company, will showcase its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) and MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) with fully integrated, next generation lethality and networking capabilities at the AUSA Conference 2016. The vehicles will be on display at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. from October 3-5, 2016. “Our JLTV and M-ATV platforms are engineered with industry leading suspension and protection systems, as well as the ability to support a spectrum of C4ISR suites, mission kits and weapon systems required for the modern battlefield,” said John Bryant, senior vice president of Oshkosh Corporation and president of Oshkosh Defense. “These vehicles represent a technological leap forward in off-road mobility, protection, leth ... Read more »

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Sunday, October 9th 2016 [ME NewsWire] PET water bottling plants do not have the luxury of stand-by equipment and a high pressure compressor remains at the heart of a PET bottle blowing plant. A shutdown of the compressor can lead to complete loss of production of a PET plant. M.I.Star Mineral Water Filling LLC. Established in 2007 is situated at Dubai Investments Park, Dubai. The Company produces Pure Drinking Water under the brand name ‘KLEAR’. The company initially started off with a small capacity bottling line and over the last few years has expanded to become one of the leading water brands in UAE. Klear Water has been operating with a standard 3-stage reciprocating compressor since its inception. However, due to a limitation of the technology and resources, they had several shut downs and failures which have invariably impacted the plant’s capability to deliver product to this competitive market. Moreover, the low pressure air that was being deliver ... Read more »