Day: 7 June 2023

Posted on

St Kitts and Nevis citizens can now travel easier and faster to Canada

Basseterre, June 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Government of St Kitts and Nevis is proud to announce that after sustained and meaningful dialogue between itself and the government of Canada, Kittians and Nevisians can now travel visa-free to Canada.

The policy applies to St Kitts and Nevis nationals who have had a Canadian visa over the past ten (10) years, as well as those who have a current non-immigrant US visa.

St Kitts and Nevis nationals who fit the above categories are required to apply online for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), for which a response is usually received the same day.

First time applicants who do not have a US or Canadian visa are still required to apply for a visa to enter Canada.

Sean Fraser, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced the addition of 13 countries to the eTA program, of which St Kitts and Nevis is one. Eligible citizens will be able to travel faster, easily, and more affordably to Canada for up to six months for either business or leisure.

“This is indeed positive news for our citizens, and we are happy about the strength of our relationship with Canada and look forward to announcing more positive aspects resulting from this partnership,” said Prime Minister Terrance Drew.

As a CARICOM (Caribbean Community) and fellow Commonwealth, St Kitts and Nevis is an important partner for Canada. Both countries share strong cultural and people-to-people ties.

Chantal Mabanga
PR St. Kitts and Nevis
+44 (0) 207 318 4343
Chantal.Mabanga@csglobalpartners.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8854173

Posted on

International Dialogue Centre’s Secretary General Calls for Continued Commitment to Universal Peace through Interreligious Dialogue in Audience with Pope Francis

Rome, Italy, June 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, His Holiness Pope Francis received His Excellency, Dr. Zuhair Alharthi, Secretary General, International Dialogue Centre, KAICIID.

The Secretary General expressed gratitude for the Vatican’s historical role in helping to establish and support the International Dialogue Centre’s interreligious and intercultural dialogue programmatic work, globally.

The late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, in his role as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and the late Pope Benedict XVI, met in 2007 to discuss the founding of a new interfaith initiative. That initial gesture of reaching out across centuries of misunderstanding, of setting aside their own certainties in favour of dialogue with the other, has informed KAICIID and its work ever since. The Holy See remains a Founding Observer of the International Dialogue Centre, ensuring our mandate is delivered.

“The Vatican has played a significant role in raising the importance of interreligious dialogue as a necessary means towards creating universal peace,” said the Secretary General. “I am honoured to meet with Pope Francis to reaffirm our efforts in dialogue and the importance of an enhanced commitment to these efforts ahead of his visit to our Host Country, Portugal, for World Youth Day,” he added.

About The International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID
The International Dialogue Centre – KAICIID is an intergovernmental organization that promotes peace and understanding through interreligious and intercultural dialogue by strengthening capacity at the local, national, and regional level through education on dialogue practices; increasing understanding of religious and cultural diversity through leadership for dialogue training, and promoting dialogue and social cohesion through conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and development policies. Learn more at www.kaiciid.org

 

Attachments

Hermínio Santos
LPM
+351 925 606 430
hs@lpmcom.pt

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8853960

Posted on

Most Profitable Crypto Miners Now Delivered Worldwide

BM Pro
BMPRO

Most Powerful Crypto Miners in the World

NEW YORK, June 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Crypto mining enthusiasts around the world can now have the world’s most profitable crypto miners delivered to their doorsteps. Bitmanu has just started worldwide delivery of its BM 1, BM 2, and BM Pro miners. Within a relatively short lifespan, these ASIC miners have already hit the headlines because of their excellent profitability.

Bitmanu launched in early 2021 and immediately caught the attention of the industry experts with the high hash rates of its mining rigs. The hash rates of BM 1, BM 2, and BM Pro are higher compared to any other hardware available in the market. These mining rigs have been enhanced further with the recent introduction of Bitmanu’s private and unique Bitstream, which now allows them to efficiently mine multiple coins.

Hash Rates of Bitmanu Miners

BM Pro BM 2 BM 1
Bitcoin 3900 TH/s 1220 TH/s 760 TH/s
Litecoin 400 GH/s 128 GH/s 80 GH/s
Dash 75 TH/s 25 TH/s 15 TH/s
Monero 32 MH/s 10 MH/s 6 MH/s

Many users of Bitmanu miners have informed that they were able to fully recover their investments in approximately a month. This has been made possible not only by the high hash rates of these rigs, but also their low power consumptions. In spite their extraordinary computational power, BM 1, BM 2, and BM Pro consume only 650W, 850W, and 2200W respectively.

Mining Profits per Month

  BM Pro BM 2 BM 1
Bitcoin $7000 $2400 $2000
Litecoin $9500 $3200 $3000
Dash $26,000 $9000 $5000
Monero $21,000 $6400 $3800

*Calculation is done based on the current market price and mining difficulty

Interestingly, a high percentage of Bitmanu’s delighted customers include casual crypto miners with no or very little exposure to crypto mining. Bitmanu is probably the first company ever to design uncomplicated mining rigs with the goal of democratizing a field that has traditionally been dominated by technology experts.

To find out more about Bitmanu, please visit https://bitmanu.com/

About Bitmanu: Bitmanu is a manufacturing company created, owned, and managed by a team of investors and noted crypto industry experts dedicated to bringing the benefits of latest technological innovations to the public. The company offers a stunning range of crypto miners that offer superfast return on investment, and can be set up and used by all regardless of their experience and knowledge.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bf754322-fcec-47b6-9c8b-d38a18d37ebd

Media Contact

Alex Torum

media@bitmanu.com

+1 347 973 5948

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000823978

Posted on

Mattermost Announces “Customer-Controlled AI Architecture” for Enhancing Operational Workflows in Defense, Government and Technology Organizations

Self-hosted, open source solution enables AI-augmentation of mission-critical operations while maintaining full data control and avoiding vendor lock-in

Palo Alto, CA, June 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mattermost, Inc., the leading secure collaboration platform for technical teams, today announced a new “Customer-Controlled AI Architecture” enabling defense, government and technology enterprises to apply generative AI technologies to enhancing or replacing operational workflows while meeting stringent data control requirements and avoiding lock-in to vendor-specific platforms.

“If you’re part of an organization that has clear competitors or adversaries, then you’re in a race right now to unlock the power of AI for gaining speed and decision advantage,” said Ian Tien, Mattermost CEO. “Our release today serves organizations competing in that race who also need to meet strict security and sovereignty requirements.”

The open source, self-managed solution provides feature-rich, chat-based collaboration across web, desktop and mobile experiences to engage with colleagues as well as AI bots powered by an interchangeable set of open source AI platforms, known as large language models, or “LLMs”. The system can be fully controlled by a customer within their private network or data center, and can even be deployed to air-gapped networks disconnected from the internet.

Benefits of Mattermost’s customer-controlled AI platform include:

  • Fully-featured chat-based collaboration including 1-1 and group messaging across, web, desktop and mobile, with file and media sharing, search, integrations, custom emojis and emoji reactions, syntax highlighting and custom rendering.
  • Conversational AI bots that can be added to channels and engaged like human users to respond to questions and requests based on different LLMs that can be downloaded and run as part of the framework, including models from the HuggingFace AI community.
  • Scalable AI model framework that can scale up to deploy on a private cloud or data center using large and powerful open source LLM models for group work, or scale down to run on a commodity laptop, without the need for specialized hardware required by typical AI models, for individual developers to prototype and explore LLM capabilities.
  • Conforming security and compliance platform that can accommodate a broad range of custom security and compliance requirements, including automated scanning of the platform’s open source code base, monitoring and securing of all incoming and outgoing network traffic and deployment to restricted networks.

This new framework is an initial release in a series of reference architectures that Mattermost, Inc. intends to offer.

“While open source LLMs are in their infancy, we see them on course to materially accelerate operational collaboration,” adds Tien. “They’ll increase the attention and focus on our most impactful discussions, while reducing the drudgery of sifting through daily information flows. While we are starting with an open source, private cloud framework, over time we intend to add integration with proprietary, public cloud based AI models, because we believe enterprises are best served with a range of solutions to meet different needs.”

The Mattermost AI Framework is available for download on GitHub’s open source platform at https://github.com/mattermost/mattermost-ai-framework.

About Mattermost 

Mattermost provides secure collaboration for technical and operational teams that need to meet nation-state-level security and trust requirements. We serve technology, public sector, and national defense industries with customers ranging from tech giants, to the U.S. Department of Defense, to governmental agencies around the world.

Our self-hosted and cloud offerings provide an extensible hub for technical communication across web, desktop and mobile for incident collaboration, operational workflows, integration with Dev/Sec/Ops and in-house toolchains, and leading unified communications platforms.

We are built on an open source platform vetted and deployed by the world’s most secure and mission critical organizations, that is co-built with over 4,000 open source project contributors who’ve provided over 30,000 code improvements towards our shared product vision, which is translated into 20 languages.

To learn more, visit www.mattermost.com.

Mattermost and the Mattermost logo are registered trademarks of Mattermost, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Attachment

Amy Nicol
Mattermost
+1 (650) 667-8512
media@mattermost.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8853788

Posted on

Dave & Buster’s to open 20 stores in India and Australia

The entertainment destination announces international franchise partnership with the Malpani Group and NightOwl Entertainment

DALLAS, June 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Dave & Buster’s, the ultimate destination for food, drinks, and entertainment, announces two more significant deals for its global expansion plans. The first deal includes a 15-store partnership in India with the Malpani Group, and the second deal comprises a 5-store partnership with the NightOwl Entertainment Group in Australia. These strategic alliances mark Dave & Buster’s second and third multi-store franchise agreements, firmly cementing the brand in the APAC and MEA regions with a total of 31 stores committed to development since global expansion plans were announced in 2022.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the Malpani Group to bring the Dave & Buster’s experience to the Indian consumer, as India’s vibrant economy has ranked the country in the top 5 globally. The Malpani Group, known for its passion for innovation and diversified growth, is poised to dominate the indoor and outdoor entertainment industry,” said Antonio Bautista Chief International Development Officer for Dave & Buster’s. He added, “Likewise, we’re delighted to join forces with the NightOwl Entertainment Group, a forward-thinking hospitality and entertainment company revolutionizing the industry in Australia. Australia’s dynamic market presents a significant opportunity for growth, and the NightOwl Entertainment Group, renowned for its innovative approach, is the ideal partner for our brand. We can’t wait to bring our unparalleled entertainment experience to this vibrant market.”

Jai Malpani, Director of Malpani Group, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership. “We are delighted to partner with Dave & Buster’s, an established brand with a proven track record in the entertainment industry,” said Malpani. “We believe their expertise in family entertainment and dining experiences will complement our portfolio, and we look forward to a successful collaboration.”

David Heaton, the Founder and CEO of NightOwl Entertainment, also shared his excitement for the partnership. “We’re incredibly excited to partner with the brand that pioneered location-based entertainment and continues to be the point of reference globally in this space,” said Heaton. “We’re confident that together, we’ll bring unparalleled experiences to our customers.”

Dave & Buster’s has implemented several strategic initiatives to ensure a successful global expansion, including a customizable footprint tailored to meet specific market requirements and the localization of menu offerings with high regional resonance to cater to local preferences and tastes. They have also introduced a proprietary dynamic pricing model to offer flexible pricing options, launched global marketing programs that are demographically agnostic yet locally executable, and implemented a unique amusement strategy and packages to differentiate themselves in the market.

Dave & Buster’s is also excited to offer localized entertainment and late-night programming for customers and introduce immersive experiences to enhance customer engagement in the competitive socializing space. With these initiatives, Dave & Buster’s is confident they will provide an exceptional experience to their global customers.

About Dave & Buster’s
Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Coppell, Texas, Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc., is the owner and operator of 200 venues in North America that offer premier entertainment and dining experiences to guests through two distinct brands: Dave & Buster’s and Main Event. Dave & Buster’s has 152 stores in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada and offers guests the opportunity to “Eat, Drink, Play and Watch,” all in one location. Each store offers a full menu of entrées and appetizers, a complete selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and an extensive assortment of entertainment attractions centered around playing games and watching live sports and other televised events. Main Event operates 52 centers in 17 states across the country and offers state-of-the-art bowling, laser tag, hundreds of arcade games, and virtual reality, making it the perfect place for families to connect and make memories. For more information about each brand, visit www.daveandbusters.com and www.mainevent.com

About Malpani Group:
The Malpani Group from Sangamner is a well-diversified business house with interests in renewable energy, FMCG products, real estate, hotels, and more. However, the group’s success story goes beyond its diverse portfolio of businesses. The Malpani Group has always been committed to customer satisfaction and social responsibility, which has been the key to its phenomenal growth.

Currently, the Malpani Group is one of the leading owners and operators of amusement and water parks in India. They operate India’s largest theme and water park, Imagicaa, along with five other parks in India. Their amusement and water parks have become a popular destination for families, thrill-seekers, and tourists, offering a unique and immersive experience for all ages. With their unwavering commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction, the Malpani Group has set a new standard for business success and social responsibility, reflecting their strong belief in giving back to society.

About NightOwl Entertainment
Established in 2008, NightOwl Entertainment is one of Perth’s largest hospitality groups. Operating several venues across Perth and building many more nationally! Each with a distinct identity and target demographic. In the business of pubs and clubs and now location Based Entertainment practicing a strong corporate ethos and boasting one of the most sophisticated management systems in the industry, with centralized processes and procedures, best practice data analytics, and bespoke in-house training for staff.

Media Contact:
Antonio Bautista
Antonio.Bautista@daveandbusters.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8852831

Posted on

Kuwait Chamber praises economic cooperation with Germany

Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), praised Wednesday, the Kuwaiti-German economic cooperation in addition to areas of economic cooperation between Germany and the Arab countries.

This came during the 26th session of the Arab-German Economic Forum, organized by the German-Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Berlin, with the participation of more than 300 decision makers, businessmen and representatives of Arab and German institutions and companies.

In a statement to KUNA, Chamber Board Memebr Ahmed Al-Qudheibi said that the forum constitutes a pioneering platform in terms of developing trade relations between Germany, Kuwait and other Arab countries, through forum’s discussion of economic cooperation areas between Germany and Arab countries.

Kuwait’s delegation participated in workshops aimed at achieving economic growth between the two sides and shedding light on ways to develop economic relations between the Arab and German sides in the field of industrialization, planning and establishing smart cities, investing in capital, logistics, transportation, infrastructure and the importance of vocational training. Al-Qudaibi said.

For his part, the President of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Peter Ramsauer, praised in his speech the transformations and changes the Arab world is witnessing that have caused prosperity of many Arab countries.

The energy fields come at the top of the agenda of the Arab-German meetings, Ramsauer said, stressing “European energy supplies depend more than ever on the Arab countries.” For his part, Kuwait Ambassador to Germany Najeeb Al-Badr praised the Kuwaiti-German economic relations, stressing the existence of a successful economic partnership between the two countries, adding, during the forum, a number of issues related to ways to promote trade and industrial development and to improve and increase cooperation and trade exchange between Arab countries and Germany were discussed.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

Posted on

Occupation forces notify of the demolition of residential structure in Jordan Valley

Israeli occupation forces today issued a demolition notice against a residential structure in the northern Jordan Valley, according to a local activist. Motaz Bisharat, an official in Tubas governorate, said that Israeli forces delivered a demolition notice against a residential structure owned by a local Palestinian, citing ruining an archaeological site as a pretext.

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

Posted on

Watchdog dismisses debate on hacking allegations over settings interrogation codes

In response to the recent online debate on the possibility of mobile phones being hacked and that such breaches can be exposed via Settings Interrogation Codes, the National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC) issued a statement on Wednesday, categorically denying such allegations. The NCSC asserted that these codes, commonly known as Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) or Man-Machine Interface (MMI) codes, are merely service tools offered by telecom operators to enable users to track call redirection, especially when their mobile devices are busy or unreachable. The uproar began following a broadcast by a local television channel, wherein an individual claimed the potential of mobile phones being hacked. He further posited that dialing certain USSD shortcodes would help subscribers ascertain if their phones have been compromised and if their calls were being redirected to another number. However, the NCSC clarified that these MMI codes are standard features provided by telecommunications companies for user convenience and do not indicate any form of security breach. They emphasized that there was no need for users to report to the police if they had dialed the codes circulated on social media recently. The NCSC also reiterated that there are no valid codes that ordinary citizens can use to determine if their mobile devices have been hacked or subjected to unauthorized surveillance. The MMI or USSD codes are typically used for activating or deactivating specific network services provided by a telecom operator, such as call forwarding, barring, etc.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Posted on

First charter flight from Slovakia lands in Aqaba

The first charter plane from Slovakia carrying 189 tourists touched down at King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba on Wednesday, marking the start of a new air bridge to attract 3,400 tourists from Slovakia until next October. The introduction of a new air route supported by the Jordan Tourism Board signifies an increase in tourist arrivals and the revival of charter flights, said Makram Qeisi, the Chairman of JTB and Minister of Tourism and Antiquities. Abdul Razzaq Arabiyyat, the Director General of JTB, stated that the newly established route is a product of collaborative efforts between the Ministry, the JTB, and the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, all working towards the goal of boosting tourism in the Kingdom. He said the JTB seeks to lure regulated charter and low-cost flights from numerous countries directly to the Queen Alia International Airport and King Hussein International Airport.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Posted on

S. Korea Expresses ‘Stern’ Protest to China, Russia over Air Defense Zone Incursion

South Korea’s defense ministry lodged a “stern” protest with China and Russia on Wednesday over their warplanes’ entry into the country’s air defense identification zone (KADIZ) without notice the previous day, it said.

On Tuesday, four Chinese and four Russian military aircraft entered the KADIZ and exited it, prompting the South Korean Air Force to scramble fighter jets to the scene. They did not violate South Korea’s air space.

Lee Seung-beom, director general for international policy at the ministry, expressed regret over the KADIZ entry to military attaches at the Chinese and Russian Embassies in Seoul, respectively, in separate phone calls.

“The defense ministry expressed regrets to the two countries over the flight to the sensitive areas close to our air space,” the ministry said in a press release. The ministry also called on them to take appropriate measures to prevent a recurrence, noting that such a flight could cause regional tensions.

The air defense zone is not territorial airspace but is delineated to call on foreign planes to identify themselves so as to prevent accidental clashes.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Posted on

Dozens of Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Under Heavy Protection by Occupation Police

Settlers stormed the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday, under heavy protection by the Israeli occupation police.

Palestine (Wafa) News Agency reported that dozens of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa, in successive groups, from the Moroccan side, and performed Talmudic rituals on the eastern side of it.

The occupation police have deployed their special forces and units since the morning in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa and at its gates, to secure the settlers’ incursions, and continue to restrict the entry of worshipers.

Every day, except for Friday and Saturday, Al-Aqsa Mosque witnesses a series of violations and incursions by settlers, under the protection of the occupation police, in an attempt to impose full control over the mosque and divide it temporally and spatially.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Posted on

Humanitarian efforts paint positive picture of Kuwait – KRCS

Over the years, Kuwaiti humanitarian efforts painted a bright positive picture of the state to the outer world, stated Kuwait Red Crescent Society official, Khaled Al-Zaid.

On sideline of Qatar Red Crescent Society celebration of world international humanitarian law day in capital city of Doha, Al-Zaid, head of the public relations and media department at KRCS told KUNA that Kuwaiti diplomacy, a source of soft power, sought to fortify humanitarian dimensions within its foreign policy.

He indicated that the name of Kuwait became synonymous with humanitarian charitable work, adding that a work paper titled “Media and Humanitarian Diplomacy” was discussed highlighting Kuwait’s role.

Al-Zaid mentioned that Kuwait’s efforts extended beyond the borders of Arab world to reach nations far and wide as it also joined numerous active and vital international organizations such as the World Food Program, World Health Organization, UNRWA and many others.

KRCS caught on the importance of media in raising awareness regarding humanitarian situations early on, mentioned al-Zaid while also taking note of the society’s efforts in ensuring the sustainability of humanitarian work.

He further commented saying that in this day and age media and diplomacy became closely intertwined, as the instrument of media is quite influential on public opinion.

Source: Kuwait News Agency