Minister Dlamini to launch Disability Rights Awareness Month

This year, the launch will be held under theme, “Persons with disabilities – Equal participants in shaping a sustainable future”

PRETORIA, South Africa, November 1, 2016/APO/ -- 

The Minister of Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini, invites members of the media to the launch of Disability Rights Awareness Month (DRAM2016) on Thursday, November 03, 2016, in Gauteng Province.

This year, the launch will be held under theme, “Persons with disabilities – Equal participants in shaping a sustainable future.” 

Disability Rights Awareness Month takes place annually from November 03 to December 03 to promote human and socio-economic rights of persons with disabilities. 

As part of the launch, the Department will handover Accessible Multi-Media Centre for deaf and blind learners and there will also be hand-on demonstration on how assistive technology assists people with disabilities to communicate.

Cabinet approved the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in December last year. The White Paper seeks to accelerate transformation and redress existing inequalities among persons with disabilities through inclusive programmes. This can be attained if all stakeholders work together with government to advance the living conditions of persons with disabilities and restore their dignity.

Mimecast Addressed Effective Protection Against Ransomware at Gartner’s Security and Risk Management Summit 2016

Mimecast showcased its range of email and data security solutions and services; Security expert - Matthew Gardiner spoke at the event

Dubai, UAE – November 2, 2016 – Mimecast Limited (NASDAQ: MIME), a leading email and data security company, participated in the Gartner Security and Risk Management Summit 2016. The company showcased its full-range of email and data security solutions and services at the event, which was held from October 31^st to November 1^st at the Raffles Hotel Dubai.

As a speaker at the conference, Matthew Gardiner, Senior Product Marketing Manager of Mimecast, addressed the impact of ransomware on businesses, the reasons why attacks through ransomware have been increasing in recent months and how organizations could defend themselves against a ransomware attack and protect themselves in the current security landscape.

“No organization is immune to a ransomware attack and businesses are increasingly being held hostage by cybercriminals. In recent months, much of the malware being blocked by Mimecast for our customers has been ransomware, which is a huge number. Given the criticality of business assets, digital infrastructure, or even safety of life in some cases, many businesses are forced to pay the ransom,” said Matthew Gardiner, Senior Product Marketing Manager of Mimecast.

“At the Security and Risk Management Summit 2016, we shared insights on the serious threat ransomware poses, why there has been a significant rise in ransomware attacks and discuss how a three-pronged strategy of prevention, business continuity and email archiving could help defeat ransomware before it takes the business hostage,” Mr. Gardiner added.

The key to ransomware protection is two-fold: deploying email security solutions for ransomware detection, and maintaining up-to-the-minute backups and archives of email data. Mimecast provides both security and archiving solutions to protect against ransomware. Mimecast highlighted how its cloud-based email security services and its capabilities of Targeted Threat Protection helps Middle East organizations reduce the risk, complexity and costs traditionally associated with protecting email.

The Gartner Security and Risk Management Summit 2016 provided organizations with the proven practices and strategies they need to maintain cost-effective security and risk programs to support digital business and drive enterprise success.  The event featured comprehensive tracks to drill down on the hottest security and risk management topics based on participants’ role, experience level and key focus.

Mimecast was exhibiting at booth #942, where visitors were able to meet and interact with some of Mimecast’s top solution experts.

Generating a power solution for Micronesia

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Mining & Resources

BESPOKE “ready-to-go” power systems from Australia are set to stabilise the energy flow in Micronesia.

Electrical systems manufacturer RJE Global Pty Ltd is building two diesel generators at its headquarters in Adelaide, South Australia, which it will install in the Pacific nation next month.

The company provides tailored electrical services to the global mining and heavy industrial sectors through a range of diesel and renewable energy projects. It specialises in control, grid connection solutions, switch rooms and generator sets.

RJE’s products are tested and built in Adelaide and installed on site, eliminating the need for additional trials or construction.

It has designed many bespoke electrical solutions for leading companies such as Rio Tinto and is building a replacement system for the Chuuk State Power Station in Micronesia.

Chuuk is one of Micronesia’s four states and is home to more than 50,000 people.

The existing generators in the state’s capital Weno are coming to the end of their life cycle.

RJE Managing Director Robin Johnson said the two new 1.8MW diesel generators would increase access to electricity.

“Each product is designed specific for a customer’s needs and ready-to-go once it’s built,” he said.

“We are working closely with the power authorities (at Weno Island) and are building the electrical infrastructure as well as the switch room to go along with it in Adelaide at the moment.

“It’ll be finished in the next few weeks and then will be simple to install once it arrives there.”

Johnson said Micronesia’s remote location made it difficult to obtain quality electrical systems.

The few islands that have generators experience frequent shutdowns and limited hours of service because of the unreliable energy supply.

The Chuuk electricity grid serves about 80 per cent of Weno’s population but the new project would increase the power supply reach to 95 per cent.

The project comprises of two enclosed GE 12V228 diesel engines to form a 13.8KV 60Hz 2MW generator set.

It also includes a corrosion and fireproof switch room for medium voltage distribution and control.

The new site will assist with maintaining a reliable power source for Weno as well as the surrounding villages and is projected to be fully operational early next year.

Johnson said RJE’s base location, and Southeast Asian offices in Myanmar, Indonesia and Mongolia made it the ideal electrical solutions facilitator for the Asia Pacific Region.

“In Adelaide we are able to source a lot of good suppliers in the Adelaide region with enormous support,” he said.

“The only other people that do what we do, to the quality we do, are the United States, Europe and South Korea. The US and Europe are too far away to service this region and then you have the language barrier with Korea.

“We may be stuck in one corner of the world but from the operational perspective we deliver unique quality systems – we are the low-risk solution.”

Opportunities Exist to Make an Impact on the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Social and Environmental Challenges

New Oliver Wyman Report Addresses How Region is Ripe for Real, Lasting Change and Need for Non Profit and Private Sector to Drive New Initiatives

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE/ ME NewsWire)-- Oliver Wyman’s new report on social impact initiatives in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has revealed that the region’s private and non-profit sectors remain far from where they need to be in order to be effective partners to governments in driving sustainability.

Oliver Wyman surveyed more than 60 business leaders in the region to study the role that private and non-profit sectors across the GCC are playing when it comes to social and environmental sustainability in the region.

The research looked to explore the role governments, international organizations and support networks can play in supporting and driving the growth of this critical new area of focus in the GCC.

The report shows 86 percent of those surveyed strongly agree that immediate action is required to tackle the region’s challenges, particularly when it comes to youth unemployment, CO2 emissions and water depletion.

“The findings presented in the report suggest that the region is ripe for real, lasting change,” said Greg Rung, an Oliver Wyman Partner in the Middle East and the author of the report.

“Awareness about these issues has been growing over the past decade, and the current situation has created a growing sense of urgency and crisis. The journey to effective social and environmental impact is long and too many organizations have yet to take meaningful steps in the right direction.”

Not enough being done

Whilst still evolving in the region, the survey showed that a large majority (68 percent) of organizations feel sustainability is a top priority for their senior leadership. Less than a third of survey respondents (30 percent) believe corporations, foundations and NGOs are currently doing enough to address the issues, and less than half (41 percent) have reassessed the focus and scale of their sustainability programmes in the past two years.

Less than a third (27 percent) have increased their dedicated budgets for sustainability, and as a result, only 40 percent feel that current budgets are sufficient.

“The overwhelming consensus regarding the urgency of the region’s social and environmental challenges is concerning, but it also signals an opportunity for meaningful change,” said Mr. Rung.

Crisis and opportunity

To address the issues facing the GCC, the report outlines how ‘regional pioneers’ will be crucial, and how private sector leaders need to show that sustainability can contribute to growth and add a competitive advantage.

Integrating sustainability into an organization’s DNA is also a multi-year process that requires significant change management, the report says, adding that sustainability must be directly linked to the business model for long-term growth and profitability.

Training and empowering staff across the organization and incentivizing ‘sustainability managers’ also needs to be part of an organization’s strategy, and measurement should also be a top priority, leveraging international reporting guidelines and external support actors.

The report also provides examples of organizations which are showing the way as regional pioneers.

Building partnerships

Collaboration between governments and the private and non-profit sectors also needs to improve, according to the report.

“Despite the launch of important governmental reform initiatives in the past two years, it has become increasingly apparent that governments cannot be expected to tackle the region’s social and environmental challenges alone,” said Mr. Rung.

The report titled ‘The Social Impact Imperative – The role of private and non- profit sectors in the GCC,’ can be viewed here.

Moving to a new home? Clean it up in 4 easy steps

When you are moving, there are lot of things to sort out! Usually you are already stressed from packing and moving out from your previous place, then you need to unpack, arrange everything and also do a big clean up. To help you ease your stress, you can you count on these 4 easy tips, given by the experts from Helpling.ae, the leading online marketplace for household services in Middle East.

1. Organization starts with the move out: pay attention when packing your boxesThis simple trick will help you to organize your move: while packing your things, always consider what you want in each room so you won't mix items from one room in other rooms’ boxes. That will help you to organize the unpacking. Also labelling boxes will make your work way easier. Don’t consider the planning as a waste of time, it will help a lot to make packing, unpacking and cleaning up a smooth task!

2. Moving in cleaning: the secret is planningEven if the previous owner has cleaned the place, you won't really know how well it has been done. The house might look clean, but most people usually just clean away the dust and don't sterilize all surfaces or pay attention to details.
Before doing your move in cleaning, planning your clean is key. You need to think about the rooms and plan, for example, which rooms to start with, the size, the level of ‘dirtiness’ and so. Then estimate the hours or minutes you want to spend in each room and the sequence. A great tip would be to start with the bedroom and kitchen, as you will need to use them right away.

3. How to clean: basic tipsAfter planning, start cleaning the rooms from top to bottom, never the opposite or you will get the bottom dirty while you clean the top. Don’t start in the middle of the room, start with one corner and go round to ensure that you won’t miss anything.
An obvious tip is to make sure that you have enough space to clean the room, if it’s full of boxes, for example, the cleaning will be demanding and not effective. Always finish cleaning a room before moving on to the next one, so you can see the results of your work and be more motivated to clean the next. Also, unpack and organize the room as soon as you are done with cleaning, so you have a better overview and less boxes.

4. Final touch: attention to detailsPay attention to details, if you don't clean every corner when moving in, it is likely that you will postpone the cleaning forever until you get used to it. And after you set all your furniture in place, it will be twice as hard to maneuver around the corners and clean the hard to reach areas.
Special care to clean doors knobs, window handles, switches, faucets… These places are highly contaminated as everyone touches them all the time, but they are quite often overlooked when cleaning. Also pay attention to the areas between the tiles, sometimes they have mold and they need to be cleaned to avoid it from spreading. Pipes are often covered with dust and dirt; so worth an effort to clean them up.

About Helpling.ae: 
Helpling is the leading online platform for home services in the Middle East. On the website or via app, customers can book a vetted and professional cleaner and gain back free time within a couple of clicks. The German company currently has more than 300 employees and offers its services in 9 countries, throughout 3 continents. Helpling is supported by Rocket Internet, whose network consists of companies such as Namshi, Talabat, and Wadi.

 على وشك الانتقال لمنزل جديد؟ أربع خطوات بسيطة للتنظيف

عند انتقالك لمنزل جديد، ستجد أن هناك عدداً من الأمور التي تتطلب منك التصدي لها. ستشعر بطبيعة الحال أنك تحت ضغوط كبيرة وأنت تحزم أثاثك وحاجياتك في منزلك القديم، لتواجهك بعد ذلك ضرورة تنظيف المنزل الجديد ووضع كل شيء في مكانه المناسب. لمساعدتك قليلاً والتخفيف عنك، تستطيع اتباع هذه النصائح الأربعة التي يقدمها لك أخصائي Helpling.ae، المنصة الإلكترونية الرائدة أون لاين لتقديم خدمات تنظيف المنازل في الشرق الأوسط.

1.   النظام يبدأ من مرحلة الرحيل: انتبه وأنت تقوم بتعبئة الصناديق

أسهل طريقة تساعدك على تنظيم عملية انتقالك تبدأ عند حزمك محتويات منزلك القديم. فكر بما ستحتاجه في كل غرفة حتى لا تنتهي بوضع الأشياء في الصناديق الخطأ. سيساعدك هذا كثيراً عندما تقوم بإفراغ صناديقك في المنزل الجديد. كما أن وضع بطاقات تعريف على كل صندوق سيجعل عملك أكثر سهولة. لا تظن أن تخطيطك هذا مضيعة للوقت، لأنه سيسهل عليك تعبئة الصناديق وتفريغها والتنظيف في آخر المطاف.

2.      الانتقال والتنظيف: السر هو التخطيط

حتى لو كان الساكن السابق قد قام بتنظيف المكان، لن تستطيع التأكد من درجة النظافة بسهولة، فقد يبدو المنزل نظيفًا، إلاّ أن غالبية الناس يقومون بإزالة الغبار فقط ولا يعقّمون السطوح أو ينتبهون لتفاصيل التنظيف الدقيقة.

خطط للتنظيف قبل أن تبدأ به. عليك أن تفكر بكل غرفة وتخطط لتنظيفها. على سبيل المثال، بأي غرفة ستبدأ، حجمها، درجة نظافتها أو قذارتها، وما إلى ذلك. ثم قم بتخمين الساعات أو الدقائق التي ستقضيها في تنظيف كلّ غرفة وترتيبها. نصيحة كبيرة نقدمها لك، وهي أن تبدأ بغرفة النوم والمطبخ، لأنك ستحتاجهما على الفور!

3.   كيف تنظف: نصائح أوّلية

بعد أن تقوم بالتخطيط، ابدأ بتنظيف جدران الغرف من الأعلى للأسفل. لا تفعل العكس أبداً، لأنك ستنتهي بتساقط القاذورات والغبار على للأسفل وأنت تقوم بتنظيف المناطق العليا. وكذلك، تجنّب البدء من منتصف الغرفة. من الأفضل أن تبدأ من زاوية معينة وتواصل العمل بحركة دائرية حتى تتأكد أنك لم تهمل أي منطقة.

نصيحة بسيطة: تأكد أن لديك مساحة كافية لتنظيف الغرفة. فلو كانت الغرفة مليئة بالصناديق، على سبيل المثال، سيكون التنظيف متعبًا وبلا جدوى. تأكد من الانتهاء من تنظيف غرفة بأكملها قبل الانتقال للغرفة التالية، لترى نتائج عملك وتشعر بالحماس للاستمرار بعملية التنظيف. كذلك، قم بتفريغ الصناديق وترتيب الغرفة فور انتهائك من التنظيف، لتكون لديك لمحة أفضل لما أنجزته وصناديق أقل!

4.   اللمسة الأخيرة: الانتباه للتفاصيل

انتبه للتفاصيل، فإذا لم تقم بتنظيف كل زاوية عند انتقالك، فمن الأرجح أنك ستؤجّل التنظيف إلى فترة غير معلومة إلى أن تعتاد على ذلك. ثم بعد أن تضع أثاثك في مكانه، سيصعب عليك أكثر تحريكها والوصول إلى الزوايا لتنظيفها.

أعط تنظيف مقابض الأبواب، النوافذ، أزرار الكهرباء وحنفيات المياه حقه، فهذه المناطق على درجة عالية من التلوث لأنها تتعرض للّمس طوال الوقت، إلا أننا نهمل تنظيفها غالبًا. كما عليك الانتباه للأماكن الصغيرة الواقعة بين رخام الأرض، إذ يتكون العفن فيها أحيانًا ويستلزم عليك تنظيفها لمنع انتشاره.

وأخيراً وليس آخراً، لا تنسر أنابيب المياه، لأن الغبار والأوساخ تغطيها عادة، لهذا فإن تنظيفها يستحق الجهد والوقت.