LONDON-Thursday, January 19th 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] (BUSINESS WIRE)-- Panasonic Corporation has again been awarded a Gold Recognition Level in sustainability performance in a survey conducted by EcoVadis. This is the second consecutive year that Panasonic has received a Gold Rating, which rates us among the top 5% corporations for sustainability performance and excellence. EcoVadis operates the 1st collaborative platform allowing companies to assess the environmental and social performance of their global suppliers. EcoVadis uses their unique CSR assessment system with a methodology covering 150 purchasing categories, 21 CSR indicators and 110 countries. EcoVadis ratings are compatible with the GRI/G3 and ISO26000 standards. Ensuring sustainability in business is of growing interest in the current world. Business is expected to be sustainable and transparent in their performance both in their own organisation and global supply chains, especially now in the historical turning points o ... Read more »

Acquisition adds unique offering to Firm’s suite of transaction and valuation services in an increasingly important asset class LOS ANGELES-Thursday, January 19th 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] (BUSINESS WIRE)-- Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE: HLI), the global investment bank, today announced that it has acquired Black Stone IP LLC (BSIP), a leading boutique investment bank focused on valuing and trading patent and other intellectual property (IP) assets. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2013, BSIP focuses exclusively on Tech+IP advisory. Its services include technology and IP valuations, developing and executing strategic IP transactions, IP-focused M&A advisory, and IP-backed capital formation and restructuring. Since its founding, BSIP has executed over 100 transaction and advisory projects for clients that span North America, Europe, and East Asia. BSIP’s client list includes more than 30 Fortune 500 companies and recognized innovators such as Avaya, Broadcom, Dolby, ... Read more »

- Expanding our control business in the midstream oil and gas market - TOKYO-Thursday, January 19th 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] (BUSINESS WIRE)-- Yokogawa Electric Corporation (TOKYO:6841) announces that its subsidiary, Yokogawa United Kingdom Ltd., has received an order from the British Pipeline Agency Limited (BPA), the UK’s leading provider of engineering and operational services to the oil and gas pipeline sector, to supply a management and control system for a major multi-product fuel pipeline system. This project will replace BPA’s existing pipeline management and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. The pipeline system consists of three integrated multi-product fuel pipelines that, altogether, are some 650 km in length and extend from Ellesmere port in northwestern England to the country’s southeastern coast. The pipelines connect to the City of London’s major airports and are a critical part of the UK’s infrastructure, This order is for Yokogawa’s Enterprise ... Read more »

Dubai, United Arab Emirates -Thursday, January 19th 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] The latest Global Economic Conditions Survey from ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and the IMA (the Institute of Management Accountants) suggests that global business confidence in Q4 has dropped amid on-going political and economic uncertainty caused by: Government investment falling to its lowest level since the start of 2016, with many developed markets still firmly in austerity mode Changes in the political landscape stemming from the recent US election Uncertainty over US / China trade developments Continued slump in oil prices and government spending reductions in Middle East The survey of over 4,500 finance professionals and business leaders worldwide has found that while the economic outlook has improved slightly in the US and China over the last quarter, confidence in the Middle East remains subdued – with 51% of firms reporting that they feel less confident about the futur ... Read more »

LOS ANGELES -Thursday, January 19th 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] (BUSINESS WIRE)-- A DOG'S PURPOSE, produced by Amblin Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures, is a celebration of the special connection between humans and their dogs. And in the spirit of this relationship, the Amblin production team followed rigorous protocols to foster an ethical and safe environment for the animals. While we continue to review the circumstances shown in the edited footage, Amblin is confident that great care and concern was shown for the German Shepherd Hercules, as well as for all of the other dogs featured throughout the production of the film. There were several days of rehearsal of the water scenes to ensure Hercules was comfortable with all of the stunts. On the day of the shoot, Hercules did not want to perform the stunt portrayed on the tape so the Amblin production team did not proceed with filming that shot. Hercules is happy and healthy. View source version on businesswire.com: http ... Read more »

Global Media Service Provider MX1 and Pay TV provider Sky Deutschland Sign Business Continuity Contract to Ensure Full Scale Back-up services LUXEMBOURG-Thursday, January 19th 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] (BUSINESS WIRE)-- SES S.A. (Euronext Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) announced today that Sky Deutschland has signed a multi-year contract extension for back-up services with MX1, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SES. The contract ensures that, in case of any technical issues with Sky Deutschland’s main signal, the broadcaster’s programming will be restored in a short time-frame, from the MX1 Broadcasting Centre in Unterfoehring, Germany. The agreement includes playout and turnaround services, such as encoding, multiplexing and encryption, and uplink services. To support these services, the MX1 Broadcast Centre will concurrently receive all necessary data and video transmission material from the Sky channels. “The signing of the contract with Sky is good news for movie fans and sports enthusiasts,” ... Read more »

Dubai, United Arab Emirates -Thursday, January 19th 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] (BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dubai is an oasis of pure innovation, led by the authentic revolutionary vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Dubai aims to become the most innovative city by 2021. In embracement of Dubai’s goals and mission, the Le Fonti CEO Summit has come to the UAE to discuss the topic of Leadership & Innovation: Skills and Visions for Growth. The CEO Summit, which preceded the Le Fonti 6thAnnual IAIR Awards, was highlighted by Petri Pentti – CFO of ENOC (Emirates National Oil Group) and Shadi Banna (CEO of Potential). The Summit’s discussion was moderated by financial journalist, Alessia Liparoti, and took place in the exquisite venue, The Palace Downtown Dubai. The Le Fonti IAIR Awards have historically been a platform for highlighting industry excellence, show casing leaders in the fields of banking, business, economics, finance, su ... Read more »

NEW YORK & LONDON -Tuesday, January 17th 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] (BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (the Association) has voiced its strong opposition to a plan by South Africa’s Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) to implement mandatory audit firm rotation (MAFR). In a written response to IRBA’s Consultation Paper, the Association, which has offices in locations including Johannesburg, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, London, New York and Shanghai, wrote that MAFR “may have a negative impact on audit quality, increase market concentration to a more limited number of auditing firms, and will hinder, rather than promote, transformation of the profession.” The letter, signed by Association CEO Barry C. Melancon, CPA, CGMA, includes analysis of the most significant factors supporting the profession’s longstanding position. It notes that mandatory audit firm rotation: Negatively impacts audit quality Causes loss of institutional know ... Read more »

• BI 695501 EMA and FDA applications are first biosimilar regulatory filings for Boehringer Ingelheim • Applications are supported by a comprehensive data package comprised of analytical, pre-clinical & clinical development studies INGELHEIM, Germany-Wednesday, January 18th 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] (BUSINESS WIRE)-- Boehringer Ingelheim announced today that BI 695501, its adalimumab biosimilar candidate to Humira®*, has been accepted for regulatory review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “We believe that if approved, BI 695501 can provide a valuable treatment option for the people affected by inflammatory diseases in the U.S. and Europe,” said Ivan Blanarik, Senior Vice President and Head of Therapeutic Area Biosimilars, Boehringer Ingelheim. “The acceptance of our first biosimilar regulatory filings by the FDA and EMA is an important milestone towards offering a high-quality treatment choice to patients and physicians while contr ... Read more »

En partenariat avec l'UNESCO et Save the Children, P&G et sa marque de produits d'hygiène féminine Always contribuent à ce que les filles marquées par la crise syrienne reprennent confiance grâce à l'éducation et au développement des compétences. DAVOS, Suisse -Jeudi 19 Janvier 2017 [ ME NewsWire ] (BUSINESS WIRE)--Aujourd'hui, Procter & Gamble et sa marque de produits d'hygiène féminine Always annoncent un nouvel engagement pour répondre aux difficultés auxquelles les filles et les jeunes femmes doivent faire face en raison des conséquences de la crise des réfugiés en Syrie. En partenariat avec l'UNESCO et Save the Children, ces entreprises aideront le filles à reprendre confiance en elles-mêmes en Jordanie au moyen de l'éducation et du développement des compétences. L'engagement d'aujourd'hui s'inscrit dans le droit fil de la mission de la marque Always qui est de défendre la cause des filles en les aidant à reprendre confiance en elles-mêmes et aussi d'œuvrer à bâtir un monde libér ... Read more »