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NEW YORK - Thursday, July 7th 2016 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Starr Companies announced today that Assist Card Smalline S.A. “Assist Card,” a wholly owned subsidiary, signed a Letter of Intent with Asistur S.A. “Asistur,” domiciled in Cuba, to provide travel assistance services to the growing number of authorized travelers to Cuba.

Assist Card and Asistur signed the agreement during a recent visit by the Cuba Consortium to Havana, Cuba. “Agreements like these are important steps in expanding trade relationships between U.S. and Cuban companies,” says Maurice R. Greenberg, Chairman, Starr Companies. “We look forward to continued efforts.”

The Cuba Consortium is a nonprofit organization formed to advance sound foreign and domestic policies for U.S. - Cuban relations. It is guided by an advisory board, co-chaired by former Senators Nancy Kassebaum Baker (R-Kansas) and Tom Daschle (D-South Dakota). The board co ... Read more »

PARIS - Wednesday, July 6th 2016 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TRIGO Group, the international provider of operational quality management solutions for manufacturers, has signed an agreement with Franz Böllinger, Founder and Chairman of the BÖLLINGER GROUP, to acquire Böllinger, the Group’s automotive quality assurance services subsidiary.

This marks the latest step in TRIGO’s strategy to continue reinforcing its international footprint, following its acquisitions of North America’s PIC Group and Spain’s Global Q in 2015. This transaction closely follows the acquisition of a majority stake in TRIGO by independent private investment company Ardian.

Since 1989, Böllinger has supported major German and international automotive manufacturers with quality services in their assembly factories and along their supply chain, both domestically and on overseas projects. Historically based in Baden-Württemberg, Böllinger, which today has an appro ... Read more »

NEUCHÂTEL, Switzerland - Thursday, July 7th 2016 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Masimo (NASDAQ: MASI) announced today that Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin (DHZB / German Heart Center Berlin) in Berlin, Germany, has adopted Masimo’s SedLine® Brain Function Monitoring and O3™ Regional Oximetry technologies to monitor patients in the operating room and intensive care unit.

“Our non-profit hospital performs over 32,000 treatments each year. Easy access to advanced parameters and the data they provide are very important for our patients, many of whom are undergoing especially complex and critical operations,” stated Prof. Dr. Hermann Kuppe, Director of the Department of Anesthesiology at DHZB, “Masimo’s technology allows us to access multiple parameters quickly and noninvasively from one monitor.”

SedLine brain function monitoring provides four channels of electroencephalogram (EEG) to help clinicians better understand t ... Read more »

FRANKFURT, Germany - Thursday, July 7th 2016 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Lazard Ltd (NYSE:LAZ) announced today that Jörg Asmussen will join the firm as a Managing Director in Financial Advisory, effective September 1. Based in Berlin and Frankfurt, he will focus on advising sovereign and corporate clients across Europe.

Mr. Asmussen has more than 20 years of experience in the public sector as an economist and policymaker. Most recently he served as State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs from 2014 to 2015. Previously he served as a member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank from 2012 to 2013, and as State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Finance, responsible for European Affairs and Financial Markets, from 2008 to 2012. During that time he also served as Chairman of Germany’s financial regulator, BaFin (Federal Financial Supervisory Authority). Prior to that, he held a succession of positions in ... Read more »

REYKJAVIK, Iceland & MCLEAN, Va. - Tuesday, July 5th 2016 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Canopy by Hilton, Hilton Worldwide’s (NYSE:HLT) new lifestyle brand, and Icelandair Hotels, have announced the opening of the world’s first Canopy hotel in the city of Reykjavik.

Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre is centrally located on Hverfisgata Street, a thriving area in the heart of the city. The Icelandic capital, with its artistic flair, thriving culinary scene and backdrop of dramatic volcanic landscapes, is the ideal location for Canopy’s global debut.

“Reykjavik is unlike any other city on Earth. Its rich heritage and natural beauty perfectly align with the ethos of the Canopy by Hilton brand,” said Gary Steffen, global head, Canopy by Hilton. “We are thrilled to open the doors and begin greeting adventurous travelers searching for a unique experience to this city centre neighborhood in Reykjavik.”

Cano ... Read more »

Partnership with the Free State Department of Education uses video to augment learning for 83 rural high schools

MADISON, Wis. & BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa - Thursday, July 7th 2016 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- A partnership between Sonic Foundry, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFO), the trusted global leader for video creation and management solutions and the University of the Free State has revolutionized academic video delivery to bandwidth-challenged areas in South Africa.

The university’s IDEAS Lab in the open and distance learning campus, which is in the UFS South Campus, (Previously, ICT Innovation in School Education Department (ICTISE)) have been using Sonic Foundry’s Mediasite platform for the past five years to provide video instruction to Free State Department of Education learners and teachers at 83 rural high schools in the region. More than 54,000 learners and 3,000 teachers participate in the instruction on a weekly basis.

The unive ... Read more »

Standing over 15metres high, the impressive structure is an exact replica of an actual lantern

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates - Tuesday, July 5th 2016 [ME NewsWire]

Souq Al Jubail, Sharjah’s largest fresh produce market and a development project of Sharjah Asset Management (SAM), has achieved the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Largest lantern.

The lantern, which was designed and built by Global Event Management Group, is located at the entrance to the Souq and stands at exactly 15.5 metres high and 5.6 metres wide. In accordance with GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS guidelines the working structure is an exact scaled replica of an actual lantern and casts a gorgeous, warm glow over the entrance to the market.

Speaking on the award, Ali Al Suwaidi, Director of Souq Al Jubail, said: "We were absolutely thrilled when we received the news that we had been awarded theprestigiousGUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title . The lantern, which now stands as an iconic ... Read more »

Deal Advances Takeda’s Commitment to Gastroenterology as a Core Therapeutic Area

OSAKA, Japan & LOS ALTOS, Calif. - Monday, July 4th 2016 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502) and Altos Therapeutics LLC today jointly announced the companies have entered into a definitive agreement to further the development of Altos’s proprietary compound ATC-1906. Additionally, the agreement includes an exclusive option for Takeda to acquire Altos beginning on the date of the agreement and continuing for a period of time following the completion of ongoing Phase 1 studies of ATC-1906. The parties envision future development of ATC-1906 for the treatment of gastroparesis (GP) and its symptoms.

GP is a chronic gastric motility disorder characterized by delayed gastric emptying. Symptoms include early satiety, post-prandial fullness, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal discomfort.i Diabetic gastroparesis and idiopathic ga ... Read more »

HAMILTON, Bermuda - Monday, July 4th 2016 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P) reaffirmed the “A-” insurer financial strength and counterparty credit ratings on International General Insurance Company Ltd (IGI)’s Bermuda and “A-” insurer financial strength rating for UK operations and affirmed its stable outlook.

In March last year, S&P upgraded the Group’s financial strength ratings to “A-” from “BBB+” after IGI outperformed the ratings agency's expectations in 2014.

S&P said it now regards both IGI Bermuda and IGI UK as “core operating companies” within the IGI Group, and the A- ratings were affirmed because of the “group's strong financial risk profile and satisfactory business risk profile”.

“Despite highly competitive market conditions, we believe the IGI Group is establishing a successful tra ... Read more »

 As the world’s only intellectual property (IP) attorney firm operating across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe, Murgitroyd is uniquely positioned to provide market certainty in the wake of the Brexit vote

GLASGOW, United Kingdom - Monday, July 4th 2016 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Over the next few years, as the UK officially begins the process of leaving the EU, Murgitroyd’s clients will feel the full advantage of its extensive office network.

“This is a pan-European company, with experienced attorneys based in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and the Nordic Region,” said the firm’s founder and Chairman, Ian Murgitroyd. “So we’re perfectly placed to operate across the entire European IP landscape.

“We don’t yet know when the UK will exit the EU. But we do know that our extensive and long-standing network of offices gives us a unique perspective on events. It perfectly positions ... Read more »