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AI Singapore Awards S$20M in Research Funds to Address Challenges Relating to Increase Use of AI in Emerging Apps

Research outcomes have potential for dual-use applications, for leverage by both the industry & defence

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 26 July 2023 – AI Singapore (AISG) announced today that it will award up to S$20 million, through the Robust AI Grand Challenge and the AI for Materials Discovery Grand Challenge, to support five multidisciplinary teams which will address challenges related to the increasing use of AI in emerging applications.

SMS Heng giving a speech at the Joint Grant Awards Ceremony..JPG

AISG launched both Grand Challenges in December 2022 in collaboration with the Future Systems and Technology Directorate (FSTD), MINDEF Singapore, and DSO National Laboratories (DSO).

Each Challenge is a first-of-its-kind and represents a major milestone in research collaboration between the academia and defence ecosystems. The research outcomes will have the potential for dual-use applications and can be leveraged by both the industry and defence to benefit Singapore.

The grant awards were presented by Mr Heng Chee How, Senior Minister of State for Defence at the Joint Grant Awards Ceremony.

In his speech, Mr Heng said, “The advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will open up new possibilities and MINDEF/SAF is poised to harness its power to build important capabilities for our future. MINDEF’s approach is to collaborate extensively with local and global partners from research institutes, and institutes of higher learning and industry. MINDEF’s Defence Technology Community, which designs and develops technological capabilities for the SAF, will play a key role in this effort.

“Moving forward, we will also be expanding our partnerships with industry, to accelerate progress in developing AI technologies and applications. I encourage the various communities to come together to co-ideate and co-innovate. I would like to invite all researchers and practitioners with bold ideas to reach out to us. Together, let’s collaborate, innovate and build an exciting and better future, he added.”

Professor Mohan Kankanhalli, Deputy Executive Chairman for AISG, said that the current development efforts and outcomes can be translated into better and safer technologies for everyday living.

“The problems that are being addressed have dual-use applications and can be leveraged by both industry and defence ecosystems to benefit Singapore. We are excited to work with our valued collaborators, FSTD and DSO, as they have deep expertise in both grand challenges to advise, guide and empower our research teams to develop novel AI solutions that can effectively address important problems faced by Singapore and the world. We believe that there is potential for these technologies to be scaled globally in the future”.

Robust AI and AI for Materials Discovery Grand Challenges

AISG’s Grand Challenge programme takes an outcome-driven approach to solve important problems faced by Singapore and the world through multidisciplinary collaboration and translation of AI-based solutions from research to deployment.

Researchers from local Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and Research Institutes (RIs), along with their collaborators from the public and/or private sectors, were invited to propose ground-breaking research ideas that adopt AI techniques to address both Grand Challenges’ statements.

Each challenge statement was jointly defined by AISG, DSO and FSTD.

Robust AI Grand Challenge “How can we design robust CV systems for AVs that can recover at least 80% of their original accuracy after physical testing-time adversarial attacks?”

Computer vision (CV) systems based on AI/ML are vulnerable to adversarial attacks which could compromise their safety and security, thus limiting their performance and adoption in critical environments. In the field of autonomous vehicles (AV), these could result in delays, accidents and potentially, even death.

This Grand Challenge aims to encourage the development of innovative approaches that increase the robustness of these CV systems, to accelerate the adoption of CV systems in critical environments.

AI for Materials Discovery Grand Challenge “How can AI accelerate inverse material design to discover advanced materials that are 50% lighter while retaining and/or enhancing their functional properties?”

Technological breakthroughs and the development of next-generation systems such as lightweight transportation vehicles and energy-efficient buildings are often underpinned by the discovery and development of new and advanced materials. However, this discovery process can be prohibitively long and expensive. In addition, conventional methods can be limited by a scientist’s personal experience, knowledge and even biases, resulting in only incremental discoveries.

This Grand Challenge aims to advance the state-of-the-art applications of AI in materials discovery, to develop solutions that can help scientists accelerate material discovery process and overcome the constraints of conventional methods. This would in turn enable them to keep pace with the increasing demand for new and advanced materials for next-gen systems.

AISG received 16 (7 Robust AI; 9 AI for Materials Discovery) quality research proposals from multidisciplinary teams in response to both grant calls. The teams comprise lead Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs from the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore Management University (SMU), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). They also involve industry partners and/or collaborators from overseas universities.

An Evaluation Committee comprising members from various stakeholders in the AI ecosystem selected five projects to be awarded Stage 1 funding:

Robust AI Grand Challenge

  • Holistic Moving Target Defence for Autonomous Driving Perception (by Associate Professor Rui Tan, NTU)
    – This project will develop a Moving Target Defence (MTD) approach that creates and deploys AI mechanisms that are diverse and rapidly changing to limit the exposure of vulnerabilities and opportunities for attacks, increase the complexity and cost for attackers.
  • Development of Stable Robust and Secure Intelligent Systems for Autonomous Vehicles (by Professor Shuzhi Sam Ge, NUS)
    – ​This project will harness the collective strengths of machine learning, stable control and generative AI to develop a robust and intelligent system that can adjust its neural network’s behaviour and characteristics in real- time to counter adversarial attacks in complex environments.
  • Towards Building Unified Autonomous Vehicle Scene Representation for Physical AV Adversarial Attacks and Visual Robustness Enhancement (by Professor Yang Liu, NTU)
    – This project will develop novel multi-view and multi-modal defences based on a unified framework that comprises a novel AV scene representation that will be used to generate realistic scenes with diverse conditions and attack vectors.

The projects are expected to deliver suites of multi-modal attack and defence techniques that can be deployed in the real world to increase the robustness of AI models applied in multi-sensor CV systems.

AI for Materials Discovery Grand Challenge

  • MATAI: An AI-Powered Generalist Material Discovery Platform (by Professor Bo An, NTU)
    – This project will develop an AI-powered generalist platform with three key components: a holistic material database, a foundational material property predictor and a generalist multi-property material designer in a large search space.
  • Design Beyond What You Know: Material Informed Differential Generative AI (MIDGAI) for Light-Weight High-Entropy Alloys and Multi-functional Composites (by Professor Ivor Tsang, A*STAR)
    – This project will develop a generative AI framework for materials design that combines with discriminative models to enhance robustness and overcome data scarcity. By incorporating domain knowledge, the AI model will enable a more controllable, directed, and efficient exploration of material design spaces through advanced optimisation algorithms.

The projects are expected to deliver AI solutions that can be used by AI and materials researchers to (i) discover novel materials based on performance needs, (ii) efficiently explore beyond the boundaries of conventional methods, (iii) exploit new and existing scientific knowledge and (iv) reduce resource and time cost of material discovery cycles.

In Stage 1, the teams will be awarded up to S$4M each to work on their project for the next three years. Funding support for Stage 2 will be determined as part of the final evaluation near the end of Stage 1. Selected teams could be funded up to S$5M over 2 years where the teams will have the opportunity to work with agencies to adapt and scale up the developed AI techniques for dual-use applications.

Hashtag: #AISingapore

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About AI Singapore

AI Singapore (AISG) is a national programme launched by the National Research Foundation (NRF) to catalyse, synergise and boost Singapore’s artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to power our future, digital economy.

AISG will also bring together all Singapore-based research institutions and the vibrant ecosystem of AI start-ups and companies developing AI products, to perform use-inspired research, grow the knowledge, create the tools, and develop the talent to power Singapore’s AI efforts.

AISG is driven by a government-wide partnership comprising NRF, Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO), Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Economic Development Board (EDB), Enterprise Singapore (ESG), amongst others.

Nut Techy Launches “Computing Power Investment” to Boost Business Market Value and User Base

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 26 July 2023 – Recently, well-known computing power operator Nut Techy launched a new business called “Computing Power Investment,” which is expected to bring a new direction to Web3. Nut Techy, a well-known computing power operator headquartered in Singapore, has achieved significant milestones in the past year, including reaching a market value of billions and acquiring over ten million users.

“Computing Power Investment” is one of Nut Techy’s new businesses, and according to Jack, one of the company’s founders, users can participate in various investment opportunities through investment in computing power to gain profits. This measure is expected to expand the company’s profit model and provide new investment options for customers, ultimately contributing to the company’s growth.

Nut Techy’s impressive achievements over the past year are a result of the company’s continuous efforts in technology innovation and user experience. The “Computing Power Investment” business has become a significant source of revenue for Nut Techy’s customers, and the company is confident that it can maintain its position as a leading player in the market through its commitment to providing high-quality services and creating value for investors.

Nut Techy Expands into “Computing Power Investment” Market to Strengthen Position in Web3 Industry.

Nut Techy is expanding its market share this year and aiming to become one of the world’s leading companies in the global Web3 market. Nut Techy believes that Web3 technology can provide more innovative investment experiences for customers and is committed to investing in technology R&D and market promotion to achieve this goal.

Nut Techy’s development showcases the potential and innovation of Web3, and as a multi-domain digital entertainment ecosystem, the company continues to push Web3 forward by providing interesting, safe, and innovative digital entertainment experiences to users.

Hashtag: #NutTechy

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Nut Techy

Headquartered in Singapore, Nut Techy was founded by Jack and Dr. Lai with the aim of establishing a Web3 digital entertainment ecosystem that spans the autonomous organization DAO across GameFi, DeFi, SociaFi, NFT, and Metaverse. Nut Techy is dedicated to innovating technology and improving user experience by providing interesting, secure, and innovative digital entertainment experiences. For more information, please visit .

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School Gym Roof in China Collapse Tragically Claims Eleven Lives

School Gym Roof in China Collapse Tragically Claims Eleven Lives
Rescue workers respond after the collapse of a roof on a middle school gymnasium in China's northeastern city of Qiqihar. (photo: CNN)

A devastating incident occurred at a middle school in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province that saw the roof of a school gymnasium collapse, resulting in the loss of eleven lives on Sunday.

AXA and AXA XL partner with Lutheran School and Ebenezer School to create wonderful dragon boat experience for hearing and visually impaired students

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 26 July 2023 – AXA Hong Kong and Macau (“AXA”) and AXA XL organised two dragon boat activities with the theme of “Faster Together” on July 8th and 15th at Sha Ha Beach in Sai Kung. The event aimed to unleash the potential of hearing or visually impaired students and encourage AXA employees to work together in promoting the agenda of an inclusive society, striving to uphold AXA Group’s purpose of “Act for human progress by protecting what matters”.

David Ng, Deputy CEO of AXA Hong Kong and Macau (Front, first from the left) together with the champion of the race.

AXA and AXA XL invited students from the Lutheran School for the Deaf, the only school in Hong Kong that provides special education for hearing-impaired students, and Ebenezer School and Home for the Visually Impaired (“Ebenezer School”), a school dedicated to providing all-rounded education for visually impaired children and youth, to participate in an exciting and meaningful dragon boat racing activity. David Ng, Deputy CEO of AXA Hong Kong and Macau, and Jamie Chambers, General Manager of AXA XL Hong Kong, along with a group of volunteers from AXA, supported the students with special needs as they went through professional dragon boat training. These students were then formed into teams and engaged in competitive dragon boat races for a weekend filled with exhilaration and joy.

The event drew over 60 participants, including employees from AXA and AXA XL, teachers, students, and parents. Together, they promoted community diversity and inclusion through their active involvement.

David Ng, Deputy CEO of AXA Hong Kong and Macau, said, “At AXA, we are committed to advocating a diverse work environment and an inclusive culture. We are delighted to have students from the Lutheran School for the Deaf and Ebenezer School to join us in this unique dragon boat experience. Through this event, we aim to raise awareness for individuals with special needs among our employees and the public, while promoting the core values of equality and inclusivity. We are taking concrete actions to support the construction of a caring and supportive society.”

Jamie Chambers, CEO of AXA XL Hong Kong, added, “We are extremely honoured to have spent a delightful weekend with the students from the Lutheran School for the Deaf and Ebenezer School. In this dragon boat event, they demonstrated unwavering spirit, steadfast determination, and outstanding teamwork. I believe that all participants were deeply inspired by the students.”

Hashtag: #AXA

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About AXA Hong Kong and Macau

AXA Hong Kong and Macau is a member of the AXA Group, a leading global insurer with presence in 51 markets and serving 93 million customers worldwide. Our purpose is to act for human progress by protecting what matters.

As one of the most diversified insurers in Hong Kong, we offer integrated solutions across Life, Health and General Insurance. We are the largest General Insurance provider and a major Health and Employee Benefits provider. Our aim is to not only be the insurer to provide comprehensive protection to our customers, but also a holistic partner to the individuals, businesses and community we serve. At the core of our service commitment is continuous product & service innovation and customer experience enrichment, which is achieved through actively listening to our customers’ needs and leveraging and investing in technology and digital transformation.

We embrace our responsibility to be a driving force against climate change and a force for good to create shared value for our community. We are proud to be the first to address the importance of mental health through different products and services and thought leading iconic research. Our overall Sustainability Strategy, with emphasis on climate strategy and biodiversity commitment, is developed based on TCFD recommendations. We are committed to integrating environmental, social and governance factors across our business and strive to contribute to a sustainable future through 3 distinct roles – as an investor, insurer and an exemplary company.

About AXA XL1
AXA XL1, the property & casualty and specialty risk division of AXA, provides insurance and risk management products and services for mid-sized companies through to large multinationals, and reinsurance solutions to insurance companies globally. We partner with those who move the world forward. To learn more, visit .

About AXA XL1 INSURANCE
AXA XL1 Insurance offers property, casualty, professional, financial lines and specialty insurance solutions to mid-sized companies through to large multinationals globally. We partner with those who move the world forward. To learn more, visit .

1AXA XL is a division of AXA Group providing products and services through three business groups: AXA XL Insurance, AXA XL Reinsurance and AXA XL Risk Consulting.

THIS PRESS RELEASE IS AVAILABLE ON AXA’S WEBSITE: and

Thai Tourists Expected to Flock Laos as Six-Day Holiday Begins

Thai Tourists Expected to Flock Laos as Six-Day Holiday Begins
Thai tourists wait to cross to Laos at the first Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge (photo: MGROnline)

Tourism and hospitality businesses in Laos are bracing for an influx of Thai holidaymakers over the weekend as the neighboring Kingdom celebrates a six-day holiday.

The NEOM McLaren Formula E Team Names Cybersecurity Leader Trend Micro Official Partner

Partnership built on a shared commitment to speed, innovation and securing data from the car to the cloud

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 26 July 2023 – Global cybersecurity leader Trend Micro (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704) has been named an Official Partner of the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team. The multi-year partnership aligns the brands’ innovative cultures, focus on speed and acceleration and commitment to securing complex and dynamic environments whether that be across an electronic vehicle or a global enterprise.

“I’m excited to welcome Trend Micro to our team. As we travel around the world, cybersecurity is critically important to us. With Trend Micro we will explore ways to collaborate and keep our operations safe. We are two brands with great synergy, and I’m looking forward to our years of partnership.” Said Ian James, Managing Director, NEOM McLaren Electric Racing & Team Principal, NEOM McLaren Formula E Team.

The race circuits are some of the most sophisticated environments in global sports, yet they too are susceptible to business risks exposed by cyberthreats. Visibility of data across the ecosystem and the ability to rapidly understand and use it is critical in any setting, and especially in those with time-sensitive and rigorous operations like racing.

“Innovation, speed and sustainability are at the core of this Formula E team and Trend Micro,” said Dhanya Thakkar, SVP global marketing and sales at Trend. “The NEOM McLaren Formula E Team is a perfect match for many reasons including the races being held in the world’s most iconic cities and passionate global fan base. Our organizations have common philosophies and together we plan to accelerate innovation in the industry, accelerate the resilience against cyberthreats and accelerate you.”

The partnership with the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team opens the door for further collaboration in the future. Trend has innovation initiatives specifically for the security of electronic vehicles as well as vulnerability detection in vehicles of the future. These underscore Trend’s dedication to securing the future of automotive technology not just for customers and racing but for all of society. The partnership with NEOM McLaren is the latest example of the company’s commitment to keeping the next generation of vehicles safe for individuals, businesses and communities.

Trend’s flagship offering is an enterprise cybersecurity platform, Trend Vision One. The company proudly protects more than 500,000+ organizations, leveraging threat intelligence from over 250 million sensors across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints driven by next generation XDR and generative AI.

The multi-year partnership will begin at the 2023 London E-Prix and continue for multiple years. Trend Micro’s logo appears on the rear wing and halo of both NEOM McLaren Formula E cars.

Hashtag: #TrendMicro


The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team

The NEOM McLaren Formula E Team entered the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for the 2022/23 season with René Rast and Jake Hughes. Built on the foundations of a two-time double World Championship winning team, it competes as part of McLaren Racing for the first time, bringing one of the most iconic names in motorsport to the Formula E grid. Formula E is an electric single-seater World Championship with innovation and sustainability at its core. The series races in some of the world’s most iconic cities with an aim to educate, excite and inspire about the electrification of mobility. Formula E is part of the McLaren Racing portfolio, alongside Formula 1, IndyCar, Extreme E, and esports. Read more:

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro’s cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,500+ employees across 70 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world.

Plain of Jars Sites to Be Offered Under Concession to Private Company

Laos’ Plain of Jars Becomes UNESCO World Heritage Site
Laos’ Plain of Jars became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2020.

Authorities in Xieng Khouang Province have announced that management of part of the Plain of Jars may be offered as a concession to a private company.

TERRAOIL SWISS AG: Terraoil Announces Results of Annual General Meeting

All Resolutions for the Annual General Meeting Passed with over 93% Support

Steinhausen, Switzerland – EQS Newswire – 26 July 2023 – Terraoil Swiss AG (“Company”), an energy company with a strong focus on the Mediterranean is pleased to announce that the Annual General Meeting for fiscal year 2022 was held as scheduled on July 13, 2023 at Theater Casino, Zug, Switzerland.

Shareholders were provided with an update on the current activities of the Company followed by the formal meeting for the fiscal year 2022. Details of the Company’s operational and financial developments were shared with all attending.

All of the business matters before the shareholders were passed by over 93% of the votes cast at the meeting. The shareholders’ resolutions can be accessed at https://terraoil.swiss/publications.

Chief Executive Officer, Peter Krempin commented:

“Once again we had tremendous support from our shareholders for the team’s efforts in driving the Company towards success. Details of our important commercial developments and the restructuring that is taking place with a view toward a future listing of the Group’s shares were provided to those in attendance and there was a deep sense of excitement surrounding the Group’s future. Once again, I thank all stakeholders for their patience and support toward making the Group a success story.”

If you are an Terraoil shareholder and would like additional information, contact Peter Krempin either via email investors@terraoil.swiss or by telephone at +41 71 544 01 20.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Terraoil Swiss AG

Terraoil is an international energy company with a focus to identify and advance business opportunities in the upstream oil and gas and renewable energy sectors in the Mediterranean region.

https://terraoil.swiss

Terraoil forward-looking statements

This media release serves informational purposes and constitutes neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation or an advertisement to buy any shares of Terraoil Swiss AG in any jurisdiction. This media release does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of Article 35 et seqq. of the Swiss Federal Act on Financial Services. In addition, investors should seek advice from their bank or their financial adviser. This media release and the information contained therein are not being issued for the purpose of selling shares in the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, or the European Economic Area and must not be distributed within or to such countries or via publications with a general circulation in such countries.

This media release contains forward-looking statements such as projections, forecasts, and estimates. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results, performance, or events to differ materially from those anticipated in this media release. Readers should therefore not rely on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this media release are based on the views and assumptions of Terraoil Swiss AG as of this date and Terraoil Swiss AG does not assume any obligation to update or revise this media release.