Day: April 27, 2022

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Clearspan Unveils Ping

Clearspan Ping, a portal to personalized communications, provides customizable features, security, privacy and control

DALLAS, Texas, April 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Clearspan on Wednesday unveiled Ping, a customizable communications and collaboration solution that delivers secure voice, video and messaging anywhere, anytime and on any device. Purpose-built to serve the world’s leading service providers and largest organizations, Clearspan Ping is designed to deliver unique user experiences with the security, privacy and control that large organizations require.

Ping is the latest addition to Clearspan’s lineup of scalable communication technologies and serves as a foundational component in its journey to personalized communications.

“At Clearspan, we’re committed to creating solutions that make it easier to create unique user experiences while retaining the security, privacy and controls that large organizations require,” said Bill Crank, Clearspan’s chief executive officer. “For decades, Clearspan has powered ubiquitous unified communications solutions that empower service providers and large organizations. Clearspan Ping is the next generation communications portal that enables personalized communications and will continue to digitally transform today’s modern workforce, no matter where they’re located.”

Ping’s modern user features include point-to-point and multiparty voice, video and messaging; screen and file sharing; team rooms that allow private space for collaboration; PSTN calling; and flexible access options including browser based, desktop, and mobile applications.

Ping sets itself apart with unique features:

  • Brandable: Ping is brandable for both service providers and organizations. There are no cobranding requirements, meaning Ping can truly reflect any organization.
  • Customizable: From easy integration of commonly used applications, such as call center agent control, faxing, and SMS texting, to cross platform messaging and IoT device monitoring, Ping is built to be customized. Additionally, Ping’s deployment model is flexible. Users can choose from Clearspan cloud, public cloud, private cloud, or premise-based hosting.
  • Secure: Ping is 100 percent private with end-to-end session encryption, allowing complete data sovereignty without data mining.

Ping will be available worldwide beginning Sunday, May 1. Ping has already been trialed by some of the United States’ largest universities and global tier one service providers. Interested parties can find more information about Ping and request a demonstration on www.ClearspanCloud.com.

About Clearspan  

Clearspan powers ubiquitous unified communications solutions that help the world’s largest organizations digitally transform the way they work. For over forty years, Clearspan has enabled service providers and large organizations with innovative solutions and operational efficiency at scale. Clearspan’s standards-based architecture uniquely delivers the carrier-grade reliability, scalability and security required – without sacrificing the flexibility to seamlessly integrate both modern and legacy business applications and environments. Learn more at www.ClearspanCloud.com.

Attachment

Kayla Ayres
Clearspan
(214) 378-7970
kayres@thepointgroup.com

 

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Eurora Solutions raises $40M in Series A to tackle e-commerce shipping delays caused by EU regulation changes

Eurora management team: (from left) Marko Lastik (founder), Anneli Aljas (CFO), Egon Veermäe (COO).

Eurora Solutions raises $40M in Series A to tackle e-commerce shipping delays caused by EU regulation changes.

  • Reported as one of the largest Estonian Series A rounds.
  • Eurora’s unique AI-based solution was developed with 22 scientists from the world’s top 1% universities and backed with support from European Union (EU) Archimedes Fund.
  • Eurora already has over 200 paying clients worldwide that use its technology to process millions of parcels every day.

TALLINN, Estonia, April 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Eurora Solutions, an Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning-backed (AI/ML) cross-border e-commerce compliance platform, is announcing the closure of its oversubscribed Series A round, raising $40 million/£31 million. Amsterdam based Connected Capital led the round, with existing investors, including Change Ventures, Equity United and Eurora’s founder Marko Lastik also participating.

Eurora already has over 200 paying clients worldwide, including some of the biggest e-commerce players in Asia, such as JD.com, Yanwen and Topyou. These three companies alone process around billion parcels per year and deliver to more than 120 countries. The new funding will be used for geographical expansion in the UK, the US, and the Middle East, where rapid and high growth in the sector is expected, and product development and potential add-on acquisitions. In the past decade, global parcel shipping volume has tripled, and by 2026, this market is expected to reach over 260 billion parcels delivered.

In July last year, the EU ended the €22 import VAT exemption, and new trading regulations between the EU and the rest of the world gradually came into effect. This was intended to create a level playing field with local European manufacturers and retailers. Complying with this new regulation in the high volume, low value-per-package e-commerce market has been a challenge for merchants and logistics operators from the UK, the US, China and the rest of the world. These players are looking for software-based solutions that can help handle the billions of cross-border packages affected by this new EU regulation. Solutions with a high degree of accuracy, speed and at a low cost per package are required.

Eurora’s proprietary AI/ML-based platform automates tax, compliance and customs services. It assigns e-commerce products an appropriate HS code*, calculates the applicable VAT and duty amounts, and automatically creates electronic declarations for EU duties and taxes via simple API integration. The platform delivers more than 96% accuracy for e-commerce packages despite often patchy input data and it operates at a fraction of the time and price of hybrid or manual code allocation solutions commonly used today. Eurora was the first official VAT Intermediary and the first company to issue an IOSS number*.

The B2B platform can be used by online sellers, marketplaces, logistics and postal companies, as well as tax and customs authorities. Eurora’s compliance platform can automatically process 5,000 requests per second with up to 96% accuracy, the highest level of accuracy, speed, and automation available on the market. Marko Lastik has over 30 years of experience in logistics and is the founder and visionary of the platform, having created it together with 22 scientists from the world’s top 1% of universities, such as Tallinn University of Technology, StatLab (a spinoff company of the University of Tartu) and Software Technology and Applications Competence Centre in Estonia.

Marko Lastik, the founder and CEO of Eurora Solutions, said: “The number of different declarations, codes, reports, records and tax calculations required in the international shipping business is ever increasing. Without the correct data sets and automated solutions for tax calculations and electronic declarations, cross-border trade has slowed down, resulting in severe delays, fines, increasing costs, loss of customers etc. Eurora’s AI uses 500+ million records of training data from actual transactions from the largest logistics providers in the world, giving Eurora the knowledge of actual market practices. By using Eurora’s platform, merchants can make deliveries faster and at lower costs, which results in increased customer satisfaction and trust.”

Shaffy Roell, Investment Manager at Connected Capital, said: “We are excited to lead the investment into Eurora and support the team in scaling the platform globally. The founder and the full management team have impressed us with their quality, domain expertise, and vision for the company. We have seen a clear push from regulators to improve transparency and reporting for the increasing number of goods that enter through customs. We believe that Eurora has built a truly unique AI/ML-based platform, significantly improving compliance while reducing package delays and lowering costs for e-commerce parcels shipped into Europe.”

For more info:   
Anneli Aljas
CFO
pr@eurora.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ba059a2d-0ca1-4f72-8211-637f86d74f09

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Qianhai Beckoning Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Through Institutional Innovation

SHENZHEN, China, Apr. 27, 2022 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–April 27 marks the 7th anniversary of the inauguration of Qianhai Shekou Free Trade Zone, whose day-to-day changes are always fascinating. According to Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, in 2021, the number of Hong Kong-funded enterprises registered in Qianhai has increased by 156% year-on-year, and the actual use of Hong Kong capital accounts for 93.8% of the total foreign investments. Its Q1 2022 actual use of Hong Kong capital amounted to US$1.272bn, accounting for 92.97% of its foreign investments, a rise of 148.01%.

At the junctures of the global economic recovery, China continues to renew the layout of Qianhai, incorporating the development of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. Institutional innovation turns to be the foundation for cultivating a first-class business environment in Qianhai, thus enticing many entrepreneurs from Hong Kong. Any sharp-eyed entrepreneur would lose no time in seizing the opportunities.

Xu Ziyan is among Hong Kong youth to start their business in Qianhai. This 90’s girl has just registered her company here, believing that Qianhai is the first choice for Hong Kongers to do business in Chinese mainland. Previously, she has visited Qianhai many times for feasibility study.

Located in the west of Shenzhen and on the east bank of the Pearl River Estuary, Qianhai has been designated a “special area of the Special Economic Zone” since the State Council approved the Overall Development Plan for Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industrial Cooperation Area of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone in 2010. Qianhai’s institutional innovation is “avant-garde” and its soft services and support are “awesome”. “Through various meetings, we can speak out our minds straight to the officials. Qianhai government can hear our voices directly,” exclaimed Xu Ziyan.

Xu’s company focuses on new media business, helping connect Hong Kong brands with the mainland through “live commerce”. “By means of the Qianhai platform, not only can we dock to the supply chain, but also to the enterprises in need, which saves us from troubles, kind of like ‘finding a needle in a haystack’,” she said.

As the outside world sees it, Qianhai Cooperation Area is unswervingly forging a “Qianhai model” with institutional innovation in investment, trade, finance and rule of law as its core, making it an important “source” to be drawn upon by other places of China.

Sun Lecheng, partner of KPMG Intelligent Innovation Space, points out that Qianhai has set far-reaching goals of institutional innovation in the rules, systems, mechanisms and models. Not only is the standard high, but also “practicable and solid”.

Qianhai is known to have been promoting institutional innovation in multiple sectors, including justice, finance, supply chain, integration of services and manufacturing industries, new technologies, new business models, and so on. For example, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Law Zone is opened; an International Talent Port created, a Multi-Country Consolidation (MCC) and Maritime Transit Hub and an Outbound Air Service Center set up, the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Financial City established, the World Intellectual Property Organization Technology and Innovation Support Center (WIPO-TISC) inaugurated, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao New R&D Institutions Support Program is being promoted.

Latest statistics show that, up to now, the Qianhai Shekou Free Trade Zone has launched 685 institutional innovations, and more than 80-billion-yuan (US$12.2bn) worth of goods are gathered from all over the world to Qianhai Comprehensive Bonded Zone and then transshipped worldwide.

Source: Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone

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Pakistan Modern Pentathlon Federation in collaboration with Sports Board Punjab will hold Laser Run competitions at Punjab Stadium on April 26

Lahore, April 27, 2022 (PPI-OT):Pakistan Modern Pentathlon Federation (PMPF) in collaboration with Sports Board Punjab (SBP) will organize Laser Run competitions at Punjab Stadium on April 26, 2022 at 9.00pm. Secretary General Pakistan Modern Pentathlon Federation Chaudhry Zahoor Ahmed, who is the organizing secretary of Laser Run event, in a statement on Tuesday said that Director General Sports Punjab Javed Chohan will grace the inaugural ceremony as chief guest. “Director General Sports Punjab Javed Chohan will inaugurate the grand event at a colourful opening ceremony”.

Secretary General Pakistan Modern Pentathlon Federation Chaudhry Zahoor Ahmed informed that around 400 male and female players of Lahore Division will exhibit their potential in running and shooting competitions. “It is the first time that such a large number of boys and girls from Lahore Division are taking part in Laser Run competitions,” he added.

Secretary General Pakistan Modern Pentathlon Federation Chaudhry Zahoor Ahmed further said that Pakistan has plenty of potential in the disciplines of running and shooting. “Pakistan Modern Pentathlon Federation is providing a suitable platform to promising male and female players to demonstrate their talent in a highly competitive environment,” he said.

Secretary General PMPF Ch Zahoor Ahmed said pentathlon is a modern sport and Pakistan Modern Pentathlon Federation is striving hard to promote this game among the young generation of Pakistan. “We are quite upbeat to find several talented players through Laser Run competitions. These budding athletes will be prepared for future national and international pentathlon competitions,” he added.

For more information, contact:
Sports Board Punjab
Government of the Punjab
National Hockey Stadium, Ferozepur Road, Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-99232501, +92-42-99232502
E-mail: info@punjabsportsboard.com
Website: http://sportsboard.punjab.gov.pk

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IIUI Delegation calls on Rana Tanveer Hussain 

Islamabad, April 27, 2022 (PPI-OT):A delegation of International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) headed by its Rector Prof. Dr. Masoom Yasinzai called on Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training, Rana Tanveer Hussain at his Office on Wednesday.

The delegation members included Prof. Dr. N.B. Jumani, Vice President Administration and Finance, IIUI, Prof. Dr. Ahmed Shuja Syed, Vice President Research and Enterprise, IIUI, Prof. Dr. Ayaz Afsar, Vice President Academics, IIUI and Prof. Dr Samina Malik, Vice President Female Campus, IIUI. During the meeting, issues of mutual interests including initiatives for promotion of quality education and role of universities in society building were discussed.

The IIUI Rector and Vice Presidents congratulated Rana Tanveer Hussain on assuming the charge as Minister of Education. While appreciating the role of IIUI in society building and services, Rana Tanveer Hussain assured of maximum support to IIUI. He said universities must be given opportunities for linkages. He said that universities must promote exchange of experiences through mutual cooperation.

The Federal Minister for Education urged that universities must prepare the youth in such a way that they could meet the challenges of the modern era so that they may play a constructive role in the progress and prosperity of the country. Earlier, IIUI Rector briefed the Education Minister on IIUI’s history and introduction in detail. He apprised of vision, future plans and strategy for academic excellence of the university.

On the occasion, IIU Rector also presented a copy of the university’s new strategic plan. IIUI Rector briefed the minister that the university is an omen of true Pak-Saudi historical ties and Kingdom is going to build King Salman bin Abdul Aziz grand mosque at the New Campus. He also invited the Minister to participate in the first International Islamic Conference on peace organized by Islamic Research Institute of IIU next month. The IIU Rector vowed that he will be in the leading ranks to seek guidance and extend cooperation with the ministry as per aspirations of the Minister for improvements in higher education.

Dr. Masoom said that IIUI will be keen to enhance its bilateral ties with the universities across the world. He said that through the platform of International Islamic University, our efforts to spread true teachings of Islam and its values will remain continue. He hoped that under leadership of the Education Minister, the university will achieve the desired goals of quality education.

For more information, contact:
Public Relations,
International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI)
Room No.118, Admin Block, New Campus,
H-10 Sector, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-9019249
Fax: +92-51-9257909
Email: iiuipublicrelations@iiu.edu.pk
Website: www.iiu.edu.pk

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Chairman PPP and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari takes charge immediately after being sworn in 

Islamabad, April 27, 2022 (PPI-OT):Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been sworn in as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan. Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari became the 37th Foreign Minister of the country. Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s grandfather, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was the 12th Foreign Minister of Pakistan. Chairman Bilawal also had the honour of becoming the youngest Foreign Ministry in the history of the country as he was sworn in at the age of 33 years, seven months and six days.

Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 35 years, five months and ten days old when he was sworn in as the foreign minister while Hina Rabbani Khar was 33 years, eight months and one day old. Chairman Bilawal took charge of the foreign ministry office as soon as he took the oath. The foreign office officials briefed Chairman Bilawal on Pakistan’s relations with the outside world.

Chairman PPP and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also paid a visit to the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was accompanied by Minister of State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the terrorist attack on Chinese residents in Karachi.

The relationship between Pakistan and China is a series of loyalty across generations, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said. He said that the terrorists made a failed attempt to strike on the basis of the Pak-China friendship. The malicious intentions of terrorists could not sabotage Pak-China friendship. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also recorded his impressions in a guest book at the Chinese Embassy.

For more information, contact:
PPP Media Cell (Sindh)
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)
Peoples Secretariat Shikarpur Colony,
Behind Mazar-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Karachi, Pakistan
Cell: +92-305-3370383
Email: contact@ppp-tu.com
Website: https://www.ppp.org.pk