Saudi Telecom Company selects Commvault for Backup as a Service offering to Customers in Saudi Arabia

17 October 2016 – GITEX, Dubai UAE: Commvault (NASDAQ: CVLT), a leader in data protection and information management, today announced an agreement with Saudi Telecom Company (STC), to deliver a Backup-as-a-Service solution, utilising the STC cloud environment. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreement, was signed today at GITEX, to collaborate on solutions targeting public sector and small to medium sized enterprises in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the new cloud offering.

STC is a leading service provider within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with more than 32 million customers in that market.  STC has a long history of industry leadership in embracing the latest technology for innovative services.  This solution continues this tradition, helping customers to realise the true value of their data, while minimising complexity and cost.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is witnessing tremendous growth, with huge potential for cloud adoption and backup as a service implementations. Through this cooperation with Commvault, we will be able to offer the best data management solutions available in the market to our customers.” Said Dr. Tarig M. Enaya, Senior Vice President of STC Enterprise Business Unit

Commvault is recognized as an industry leader by STC and was named a leader – for the sixth straight year – in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Data Center Backup and Recovery Software.

“This agreement, with an internationally recognized solutions leader like STC, represents a huge milestone for Commvault.  We see big opportunities for better data management as-a-service for hybrid, public and private cloud environments across the region, and we believe that agreements like this will help further promote the implementation of these secure and effective solutions.” Bassam Hemdan, Area Vice President, Middle East, South Africa and Turkey.

UN women’s rights committee to review Canada, Burundi, Bhutan, Belarus, Argentina, Switzerland, Honduras, Armenia, Bangladesh, Estonia, Netherlands

The above countries have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and are reviewed regularly by CEDAW on how they are implementing the Convention

GENEVA, Switzerland, October 17, 2016/APO/ -- 

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is meeting in Geneva from 24 October to 18 November to review women’s rights in the following countries:  Canada (25 October); Burundi (26 October); Bhutan (27 October); Belarus (28 October); Argentina (1 November); Switzerland (2 November); Honduras (3 November), Armenia (4 November); Bangladesh (8 November); Estonia (9 November); and Netherlands (10 November).
 

The above countries have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and are reviewed regularly by CEDAW on how they are implementing the Convention. The Committee, which is composed of 23 international independent experts, will hold dialogues with delegations from the respective governments and also be briefed by NGOs and national human rights institutions.

The Committee’s dialogues with the delegations will take place from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 17:00 at Palais des Nations – Room XVI and be webcast at http://webtv.un.org/

CEDAW’s findings, officially termed concluding observations, on the countries reviewed, will be published on Monday 21 November here:http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=1027&Lang=en

The increased cost of air pollution in Africa calls for urgent mitigation action, says new OECD Development Centre study

Without bold policy changes in Africa’s urbanisation policies, these costs might explode

PARIS, France, October 17, 2016/APO/ -- 

The human and economic costs of air pollution in Africa are growing fast, according to a new OECD Development Centre study on the Cost of Air Pollution in Africa.Already, they are surpassing the costs associated with unsafe sanitation or underweight children. Without bold policy changes in Africa’s urbanisation policies, these costs might explode.

Building on the OECD’s methodology to assess the Economic Consequences of Outdoor Air Pollution for OECD countries, China and India, the paper provides new, critical evidence on the economic cost of the impact of air pollution on human lives for African countries.

Between 1990 and 2013, total annual deaths from outdoor air pollution -- ambient particulate matter pollution (APMP), mostly caused by road transport, power generation or industry -- rose by 36% to around 250 000. Over the same period of time, deaths caused by household air pollution (HAP) --caused by polluting forms of domestic energy use -- rose by 18%, from a higher base, to well over 450 000.

For Africa as a whole, the estimated economic cost of those premature deaths is around USD 215 billion for outdoor air pollution in 2013, and around USD 232 billion for household air pollution. And this is in spite of slow industrialisation, and even de-industrialisation in many countries.

Although the study stresses the lack of precise information on the exact composition of the sources of air pollution in Africa, it does note that its deleterious impact has risen in tandem with the continent’s steady and rapid urbanisation, a megatrend set to continue to unfold throughout this century and which makes bold action to tackle and reverse the impact of air pollution even more urgent. This suggests that current means of transportation and energy generation in African cities are not sustainable. Alternative models to those imported from industrialised economies, such as dependence on the individual automobile, are necessary. The new evidence also reinforces calls for more effective regulation of the toxicity levels of imported fuels.

The study also underlines that while “early industrialisers”, such as many OECD economies, have been facing the challenges of industrialisation and environmental protection – including combatting air pollution – in a sequence, African nations are compelled to face them simultaneously. This makes the challenge of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) all the more arduous.

Finally, the trans-boundary nature of air pollution and its negative contribution to global climate change call for international, co-ordinated action to combat air pollution in Africa. The New Urban Agenda discussed this week in Quito, Ecuador during the United Nations-Habitat III Conference (17-20 October 2016) presents an opportunity to foster such collective action.

Distributed by APO on behalf of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Epson innovates the meeting room with business projection

Instant interactivity alongside bright, sharp and ultra-short throw images

Dubai, UAE: Visitors at this year’s GITEX will find out find out how the Epson EB-1430Wi, with whiteboard functionality and finger-touch interactivity, can help you impress customers and clients. 

Jason Whiley, director of sales, Epson Middle East, says: “Since Epson's introduction of finger-touch technology, teachers and students have been able to collaborate using either their fingers or the interactive pens to underline or write onto any image, slide, graph and even video. Finger-touch is great for collaboration and brain-storming sessions, so we brought it to boardrooms and meeting rooms in an ultra-short throw projector..”

The EB-1430Wi brings ultra-short throw projection to meeting rooms, as well as dual pen interactivity. The new whiteboard sharing mode allows meeting participants to view and annotate whiteboard content from a range of smart devices, without the need for any special application. Multi-location image annotation makes it even easier to collaborate during meetings between different offices. Included with the EB-1430Wi is EasyMP software for network monitoring, network projection and multi-PC projection, as well as Epson's iProjection app1 for touchscreen devices to easily share and display content. With 3,300 lumens brightness and WXGA resolution, the EB-1430Wi has two HDMI inputs, built-in 16W speakers and two interactive pens.

The EB-1430Wi adds finger-touch interactivity. Finger-touch is all about instant interactivity using natural gestures, and it's perfect for quickly emphasising a point. A precise technology that's simple to set-up and easy to use, finger-touch complements the use of interactive pens. It works by using a laser curtain over the projected image that detects interruption by one or more fingers.

Features	EB-1430Wi
Equally bright White and Colour Light Output (lumens)	3,300
Native Resolution (16 : 10 aspect ratio)	WXGA
Ultra-short-throw	●
Dual pen interactivity	●
Finger-touch interactivity	●
10,000:1 contrast ratio	●
2 HDMI inputs for high-definition video & audio content	●
4-in-1 USB Display	●
PC-free annotation, projector controls on screen	●
Easy Interactive Tools 3.0	●
Split-screen function	●
16W built-in speaker	●
Wi-Fi capable	●

Epson تبتكر أجهزة إسقاط تجارية خاصة بقاعات الاجتماعات

أجهزة تفاعلية لحظية مع صورٍ مشرقةٍ وعالية الوضوح عبر تقنية الإسقاط فائق القِصر

دبي، الإمارات العربية المتحدة

18 أكتوبر 2016

: سيحظى زوار معرض جيتكس لهذا العام بفرصة التعرّف إلى أجهزة إسقاط (EB-1430Wi)، والتي تدعم ميّزة الألواح البيضاء التي تتيح التفاعل عن طريق اللمس بالأصابع، والتي من شأنها تلبية الاحتياجات المتزايدة للعملاء.

وبهذه المناسبة، قال جاسون وايلي، مدير المبيعات في شركة Epson الشرق الأوسط: "منذ أن أطلقت Epson تقنية اللمس، أصبح بمقدور الأساتذة والطلبة التفاعل والعمل فيما بينهم باستخدام هذه التقنية إما بواسطة اللمس أو الأقلام التفاعلية، وذلك من أجل التحديد أو إضافة الكتابات التوضيحية إلى أي صورةٍ أو شريحةٍ أو رسمٍ بيانيٍ أو حتى تسجيلٍ مرئي.  وتبرز أهمية ميّزة اللمس على وجه التحديد في جلسات النقاش وتبادل الأفكار، وهذا ما حدا بنا إلى توفيرها في قاعات الاجتماعات وغرف مجالس الإدارة، وذلك بواسطة أجهزةٍ خاصةٍ بالإسقاط فائق القِصر."

ويوفر جهاز (EB-1430Wi) ميزة الإسقاط فائق القصر لقاعات الاجتماعات، فضلاً عن قابلية التفاعل بواسطة الأقلام ثنائية الرؤوس. ويتيح نمط المشاركة الجديد بواسطة الألواح التفاعلية البيضاء للمشاركين في الاجتماعات عرض محتويات الألواح البيضاء وإضافة التعليقات إليها من خلال جملةٍ من الأجهزة الذكية، ودون الحاجة إلى أيّ تطبيقاتٍ خاصة. ناهيك عن أن ميزة التعليق على الصور من مواضع متعددةٍ تسهّل أيضًا من التفاعل بين مختلف المكاتب أثناء الاجتماعات. ويتضمن جهاز الإسقاط (EB-1430Wi) برنامج (EasyMP) الخاص بالرقابة الشبكية والإسقاط الشبكي والإسقاط متعدد الحواسيب، إضافةً إلى تطبيق (iProjection)1 الخاص بشاشات اللمس، والذي يتيح مشاركة المحتوى وعرضه بسهولة. وتحتوي أجهزة الإسقاط (EB-1430Wi) على مَنْفَذي (HDMI) وتتمتع بسطوعٍ يبلغ 3300 لومن وبدقّة من مستوى (WXGA)، فضلاً عن أنّها تضمّ مكبراتٍ مدمجةً للصوت بقوة 16 واط، ويلحق بها أيضًا قلمان تفاعليان.   

وتضيف أجهزة (EB-1430Wi) أيضًا ميزة التفاعل عن طريق اللمس. وتتمحور هذه الميّزة برمّتها على التفاعل المتبادل اللحظي باستخدام الإيماءات الطبيعية، وهي مثاليةٌ للتأكيد على النقاط الهامة بسرعة. وتلحَقُ بهذه التقنية بما تحظى به من دقةٍ وبساطةٍ في الإعداد والاستخدام ميّزة استعمال الأقلام التفاعلية. وهي تعمل باستخدام ستارةٍ من الليزر تُسدل على الصورة التي يجري إسقاطها، حيث تكشف هذه الستارة عن الانقطاع عبر إصبعٍ واحدٍ أو أكثر.

السمات	EB-1430Wi
خرجٌ ضوئيٌ ذو سطوعٍ متماثلٍ في حالتي الإسقاط الأبيض والملون (باللومن)	3,300
الدقة الأصلية (نسبة الطول إلى العرض 16: 10)	دقة (WXGA)
إسقاط فائق القصر	●
قابلية تفاعل بواسطة الأقلام ثنائية الرؤوس	●
قابلية تفاعل بواسطة اللمس بالأصابع	●
نسبة التباين 10000:1	●
مدخلا «إتش دي إم آي» للمحتويات المرئية والصوتية عالية الدقّة	●
شاشة مزودة بـ 4 مداخل «يو إس بي» في 1	●
ميزة إضافة تعليق دون الحاجة إلى جهاز حاسوب، عناصر تحكّم على الشاشة	●
برنامج «إيزي إنتر أكتيف تولز» الإصدار 3.0	●
وظيفة تقسيم الشاشة	●
مكبّر صوت مدمج باستطاعة 16 واط	●
قابلية الربط بشبكة «واي فاي»	●

Luxor hosts UNWTO 5th UNWTO Global Summit on City Tourism: Cities: Local Culture for Global Travellers

The 5th Global Summit on City Tourism: “Cities: Local Culture for Global Travellers” will discuss city tourism trends and debate themes such as sustainable development, spatial organization and rejuvenation, innovation in city tourism, cross-cultural behaviour, and new business models or the so‑called ‘sharing economy’

MADRID, Spain, October 18, 2016/APO/ -- 

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt are organizing the 5th Global Summit on City Tourism: “Cities: Local Culture for Global Travellers” on 1-2 November 2016 in Luxor. During the summit, UNWTO will launch the Mayors for Tourism Initiative.

Tourism has become a central component of the economy, social life and geography of many cities in the world and is ideally positioned to seize the opportunities provided by urbanization. Yet many challenges are emerging, including the need to effectively manage the growth of tourism in many cities around the globe.

The 5th Global Summit on City Tourism: “Cities: Local Culture for Global Travellers” will discuss city tourism trends and debate themes such as sustainable development, spatial organization and rejuvenation, innovation in city tourism, cross-cultural behaviour, and new business models or the so‑called ‘sharing economy’.

The development of clusters that engage public and private players from all sectors is central to the new paradigm of city tourism development, in which tourism needs to be a tool for social cohesion and cultural preservation, beyond its fundamental contribution to economic activity.

As part of the action plan of the UNWTO City Tourism Network, UNWTO will launch a new initiative gauged to gather mayors and decision makers in cities around tourism issues. The Mayors for Tourism Initiative aims to promote the important role of tourism as a driving force for socio‑economic development in cities, and place the sector as a priority in the urban agenda.

Mayors of world cities have been invited to share best practices in managing the challenges and opportunities that tourism presents to local administrations and to propose formulas to align their tourism‑related policies with those of national governments.

The Summit will be preceded by the 104th Session of the UNWTO Executive Council, taking place in Luxor on 30 October-1 November 2016.