Day: December 21, 2021

Posted on

Condolence Letters from Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan on the Floods in Malaysia and Typhoon Rai in the Philippines

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan has written to Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia Saifuddin Abdullah and Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines Teodoro L Locsin Jr. to express condolences in response to the tragic loss of lives and destruction caused by the floods in Malaysia and Typhoon Rai in the Philippines. The letters are appended.

Singaporeans in the affected areas are advised to monitor the local news closely, and heed the instructions of the local authorities. Singaporeans are also advised to stay in touch with your family and friends so that they know you are safe, and to eRegister with MFA through our website (eregister.mfa.gov.sg). Singaporeans in need of consular assistance may contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Duty Office, or the relevant Overseas Missions in Kuala Lumpur and Manila. The relevant contact details are as follows:

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore

Posted on

More Than a Dozen People Dead, 70,000 Displaced in Malaysian Floods

The Malaysian military used boats Tuesday to distribute food to desperate people trapped in their homes after massive floods, as the death toll rose to 14 with over 70,000 displaced.

Days of torrential rain triggered some of the worst flooding in years across the country at the weekend, swamping cities and villages and cutting off major roads.

Selangor — the country’s wealthiest and most densely populated state, encircling the capital Kuala Lumpur — is one of the worst-hit areas.

Some parts of state capital Shah Alam were still under water Tuesday, and military personnel in boats distributed food to people stuck in their homes and government shelters.

Kartik Subramany fled his house as floodwaters rose, and took refuge in a school for 48 hours before being evacuated with his family to a shelter.

“My house is totally damaged, my two cars are wrecked,” the 29-year-old told AFP.

“These are the worst floods of my entire life. The federal government has failed the people miserably — it has failed in its primary function to protect and safeguard lives.”

He is among a growing number attacking what they say is a slow and inadequate official response.

Thousands of emergency service and military personnel have been mobilised, but critics say it is not enough and volunteers have stepped in to provide food and boats for the rescue effort.

An AFP journalist in one hard-hit Shah Alam neighbourhood saw people desperate for food snatching items from a devastated supermarket.

‘Hopeless’ official response

Opposition MP Fuziah Salleh described the official response as “hopeless” and “incompetent”.

“No early warning of the torrential rain was given,” she told AFP. “It is so sad lives have been lost.”

Opposition politicians have accused the government of ignoring their calls to better prepare for the monsoon season, from November to February, particularly by improving drainage in densely populated urban areas.

On Tuesday, the death toll from the floods rose to 14, including eight in Selangor and six in the eastern state of Pahang, official news agency Bernama reported.

But with reports of people still missing, it is expected to increase.

More than 71,000 people have been forced from their homes due to the floods, including 41,000 in Pahang and 27,000 in Selangor, according to official data.

Evacuees are being housed in government relief centres but officials have warned to expect a rise in coronavirus cases linked to the crowded shelters.

The rain has stopped and in many areas floodwaters have receded, leaving residents to count the cost.

“I’ve been doing business for more than 24 years… this has never happened before,” said Mohammad Awal, whose cosmetic shop outside Kuala Lumpur was flooded.

The Southeast Asian nation is hit by floods annually during the monsoon season, but those at the weekend were the worst since 2014 when over 100,000 people were forced from their homes.

Global warming has been linked to worsening floods. Because a warmer atmosphere holds more water, climate change increases the risk and intensity of flooding from extreme rainfall.

Source: Voice of America

Posted on

White House Says Democrats ‘Need to Work Together’ on Biden Safety Net Legislation

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration says it is looking to push ahead with work on a social safety net spending bill after a key Democrat in the Senate said he could not support it.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at a briefing Monday that the administration is ready to “work like hell” with West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and other members of the Democratic caucus in order to achieve its goal.

“What’s most on the President’s mind is the risk of inaction,” Psaki said. “And if we do not act to get this legislation done and the components in it, not only will costs and prices go up for the American people, but also we will see a trajectory in economic growth that is not where we want it to be.”

Manchin has been a focal point in talks within the Democratic Party as leaders pushed to get the $2 trillion package passed by this week. The legislation includes plans to expand health care for older Americans, provide universal pre-kindergarten classes, authorize new funding to combat climate change and offer more financial support for low-income Americans.

Manchin has expressed opposition to the amount of spending, and in a radio interview Monday he reiterated that in his view the bill included too much spending without enough restrictions on incomes or work requirements for recipients.

Earlier Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate would vote “very early in the new year” on a revised version of the bill already approved by the House of Representatives.

Manchin’s vote is essential for Democrats in the politically divided Senate as they try to pass one of the key elements of Biden’s legislative agenda. None of the 50 Republicans in the 100-member chamber supports the plan.

Democrats had hoped to push through the legislation on a 51-50 vote before Christmas, with Vice President Kamala Harris providing the tie-breaking vote.

Source: Voice of America

Posted on

Azerbaijani currency rates for December 21

The official exchange rate of the US dollar and the euro against the Azerbaijani manat as of December 21, 2021, was set at 1.7 and 1.9177 manat, respectively, Trend reports with reference to the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA).

The manat rate in relation to world currencies, according to the CBA, on Dec.21:

Currencies Official exchange rate

US dollar USD 1.7

1 euro EUR 1.9177

1 Australian dollar AUD 1.2093

1 Argentine peso ARS 0.0166

100 Belarus ruble BYN 0.6716

1 Brazil real BRL 0.2963

1 UAE dirham AED 0.4628

1 South African rand ZAR 0.1076

100 South Korean won KRW 0.1426

1 Czech koruna CZK 0.076

1 Chilean peso CLP 0.1942

1 Chinese yuan CNY 0.2667

1 Danish krone DKK 0.2579

1 Georgian lari GEL 0.5495

1 Hong Kong dollar HKD 0.2179

1 Indian rupee INR 0.0225

1 British pound GBP 2.2459

100 Indonesian rupiah IDR 0.0119

100 Iranian rials IRR 0.004

1 Swedish krona SEK 0.1859

1 Swiss franc CHF 1.8444

1 Israeli shekel ILS 0.5375

1 Canadian dollar CAD 1.3152

1 Kuwaiti dinar KWD 5.6085

1 Kazakh tenge KZT 0.0039

1 Kyrgyz som KGS 0.0201

100 Lebanese pound LBP 0.1125

1 Malaysian ringgit MYR 0.4038

1 Mexican peso MXN 0.0819

1 Moldovan leu MDL 0.0959

1 Egyptian pound EGP 0.108

1 Norwegian krone NOK 0.188

100 Uzbek soum UZS 0.0157

1 Polish zloty PLN 0.4146

1 Russian ruble RUB 0.023

1 Singapore dollar SGD 1.2447

1 Saudi riyal SAR 0.4528

1 SDR (Special Drawing Rights of IMF) XDR 2.3728

1 Turkish lira TRY 0.1255

1 Taiwan dollar TWD 0.0611

1 Tajik somoni TJS 0.1507

1 New Turkmen manat TMT 0.4857

1 Ukrainian hryvna UAH 0.0623

100 Japanese yen JPY 1.4954

1 New Zealand dollar NZD 1.1432

Source: TREND News Agency

Posted on

espresso Display Launches Second Generation of Portable Monitors, the Thinnest in the World

These portable monitors promise to enable productivity and collaboration with enhanced touchscreen capabilities

espresso Display

SYDNEY, Dec. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — espresso, the creators of the World’s Thinnest Portable Display, has announced the launch of a new product range, breaking new ground in portable technology. espresso’s latest range of displays sport a fresh aeronautical aluminium and glass design, enhanced touch software integration for Mac and Windows, and a range of accessories.

At just 5.3 mm thin and created from a single piece of aluminium, espresso Displays can be powered directly from a device and can be set up in seconds. With AutoRotation available across the range, users can instantly adjust their content between landscape and profile formats.

“Our new range of portable monitors are like nothing else on the market. They’re incredibly thin, deliver amazing picture quality, and are compatible with just about any device, platform or software on the market,” said Will Scuderi, espresso CEO and Co-founder. “espresso products are designed to transform how people think about performing at their best, at any time and in any environment, regardless of their device or what they need to get done.”

espresso has developed unique software, espressoFlow, to integrate its touch features with Mac and Windows users who seek a smooth and more intuitive experience with applications and software. espressoFlow enables the touch experience across applications like Adobe CC, Figma, Miro and Asana.

espresso touch displays are also enhanced with Palm Rejection functionality, a feature designed to support and optimise creative tasks.

“Every feature has been designed to help people optimise user’s workflow by adapting to their unique ways of working,” Scuderi added.

To support the launch of the new product range, the espresso Display brand identity has been updated and refreshed. The impactful positioning of ‘More. Anywhere.’ serves to support customers anywhere they need to be to develop their best selves.

  • espresso Display 15 touch is the pinnacle of innovation by espresso with a rich and immersive screen.
  • espresso Display 13 touch is a compact powerhouse with everything espresso innovation has to offer.
  • espresso Display 13 offers the foundations of espresso’s premium design and intuitive functionality.
  • espressoStand: Portability and productivity come together in seconds with the espresso stand.
  • espressoCase: The case not only effectively protects the screen but it easily converts into a display stand.
  • espressoMount: The espressoMount can be set up quickly with a VESA arm.
  • espressoPen: Unleash your creativity and enhance your collaboration using our customised pen.

Pricing and availability:

The three new espresso Display models and accessories will be available for pre-sale from 20 December 2021 with shipments commencing in January 2022. espresso is available in the USA, Europe, UK and Australia.

The Displays start from $339 USD up to $499 USD and are available on the official espresso website.

Learn more about our products here.

Press Inquiries Contact:
Clare O’Rourke – PR Manager
Email: clare@espres.so

Related Files

wordmark150@2x.png

Related Images

Image 1: espresso Display

Display 15 Touch enables collaboration and productivity.

Image 2: Display V2

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment

Posted on

Steve Aoki Partners With Monkey Kingdom NFTs to Headline a Metaverse X’Mas Party for the Holiday Season

Steve Aoki x Monkey Kingdom Metaverse X’Mas Party

HONG KONG, Dec. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GRAMMY-nominated artist/DJ/producer and NFT collector Steve Aoki will be headlining a Metaverse X’Mas Party hosted by Monkey Kingdom, one of the world’s fastest-growing NFT projects that originated from Asia.

Open to the public, this highly anticipated digital party will be held on Thursday, December 23, at 10 a.m. EST (3 p.m. GMT), taking place on a large temple-inspired stage built on ‘Cryptovoxels’, and will bring Steve Aoki’s DJ set to the Metaverse to celebrate the holidays.

The digital celebration intends to commemorate the monumental growth of Monkey Kingdom, the first-of-its-kind NFT project originating from Asia. Since its recent launch on the Solana platform on Nov. 27, 2021, Monkey Kingdom has grown to become one of the most successful NFT networks in the world, exhibiting a remarkable upward trajectory seldom achieved by the majority of NFT projects on any platform today.

“In the early days of my DJ career, I toured extensively in Asia, building a strong fan base for my music and was a key pillar to building my musical career. I’ve been collecting NFTs for some time now, and as an owner of several Monkey Kingdom NFTs, I was thrilled to witness an NFT project originating from Asia to make such an impact globally in a relatively short timeframe,” says Steve Aoki. “I am excited to share my music with the Monkey Kingdom community, and I hope this special movement encourages more creators from Asia to get more involved in growing Asian representation in this space.”

Monkey Kingdom consists of 2,222 algorithmically generated NFTs inspired by the legendary Monkey King, Sun Wukong, the iconic protagonist in the 16th-century novel Journey to the West. Best known for his supernatural abilities and whimsical escapades, Sun Wukong is a cultural emblem symbolizing wisdom, optimism, and perpetual youth, and is widely recognized within global Asian communities.

Originally created to bring an Asian voice to the incredibly fast-growing NFT market, Monkey Kingdom has already garnered the support of prominent global celebrities and cultural personalities of Asian descent, including Steve Aoki (DJ and Producer), JJ Lin (Singer), Sunny Wang (Actor), Dizzy Dizzo (Musician), Ian Chan (from Hong Kong-based boy band Mirror), Dr. Woo (Tattoo artist), and Verbal (Japan-based musician and CEO of fashion brand AMBUSH), to name a few.

Additionally, Monkey Kingdom will be minting ‘Baepes‘, a collection of 2,221 female Wukongs, on Dec. 21, 2021. To further support Monkey Kingdom’s vision of building a global NFT community supporting Asian creativity, all minting proceeds will be donated to the Asia Society, a non-profit organization that seeks to forge closer ties between Asia and the West through arts, education, policy and business outreach.

Monkey Kingdom NFT holders and members of the Cryptovoxels community around the globe are invited to attend the Metaverse X’Mas Party. To attend the digital party, please visit https://party.monkeykingdom.io.

For more information on Monkey Kingdom, please visit:

www.monkeykingdom.io

magiceden.io/marketplace/monkey_kingdom

Instagram and Twitter: @monkeykingdom_

Media Contact: jessica@tylerbarnettpr.com

Related Images

Image 1: Steve Aoki x Monkey Kingdom Metaverse X’Mas Party

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment