Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Business and Sports Leaders Frank H. McCourt Jr. and Mark Walter Expand Partnership with Launch of McCourt Partners Investment Platform

NEW YORK - Wednesday, January 11th 2017 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- McCourt Global, the business arm of McCourt LP, today announced that Frank H. McCourt, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of McCourt LP, and Mark Walter, a founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Guggenheim Partners, have launched McCourt Partners, a private investment platform with over $1 billion in permanent capital. The McCourt Partners investment platform represents an evolution of the successful joint venture by the same name launched in 2012 following the historic $2.2 billion sale of the Dodgers franchise by McCourt to an investment group led by Walter.

Initially focused on real estate development, the joint venture made significant investments in flagship development projects in New York City, London, Miami, and Austin totaling more than 5.5 million square feet. Going forward, McCourt Partners will have an expanded mandate to invest in an array of sectors ranging from real estate to finance, and other private equity opportunities. Drew McCourt, President of McCourt Global, will lead McCourt Partners until a CEO has been named.

“We are very pleased and excited to expand our relationship with Frank McCourt and his company,” said Mark Walter. “Having the opportunity to build a significant business with someone who shares my values and has similar philanthropic views and goals is something I value greatly.”

“When I sold the Dodgers my first priority was finding an owner who would help the team achieve continued success and, if the team’s performance is any indication, Mark Walter has been a great choice,” said Frank McCourt. “I would say the exact same thing about deciding to launch this business venture with Mark – it was a great choice. Mark and I share the same core values and we’ve been fortunate to see quick success in the early years of our partnership. I anticipate great things ahead for McCourt Partners as we diversify our focus beyond real estate and create a significant presence in the global marketplace.”

McCourt, who recently purchased the French football team Olympique de Marseille, is a fourth-generation business leader with family roots in real estate and construction dating back to 1893. He has achieved critical success over his 40-year career, with initiatives ranging from the development of Boston’s Seaport to large, mixed-used real estate development projects in the U.S. and abroad. McCourt’s other business interests include MGG Investment Group, Global Champions Tour, Conqur Endurance Group, and Skyware Technologies. He is also a philanthropist and passionate supporter of several academic, civic, and cultural institutions and initiatives including the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University; The Future Project, one of the fastest growing non-profits in America; and The Shed, an organization developing an innovative and architecturally significant arts and cultural center in the heart of New York City.

Walter is a founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Guggenheim Partners, Chairman and controlling owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Sparks, controlling owner of Delaware Life Insurance Company, owner of the White Oak Conservation Center and an investor in other businesses. He serves as a trustee or director of several organizations, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Northwestern University, The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago Beyond, Inc., Get IN Chicago, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, Guggenheim Partners, Ongava Game Reserve (Pty) Ltd. and others. Like McCourt, Walter is a philanthropist focusing his efforts in education, conservation, social justice, the urban attainment gap and other civic and cultural organizations.

About McCourt LP

McCourt LP is a family-owned enterprise focused on building long-term value through entrepreneurial, strategic, and philanthropic investments and partnerships. Under the leadership of Frank H. McCourt, Jr., over the last four decades, McCourt LP’s business initiatives have ranged from development of Boston’s Seaport and ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers to major real estate development projects in New York City, London, Miami, and Austin and ownership of the iconic French football club, Olympique de Marseille. McCourt LP’s current portfolio, managed by its business arm, McCourt Global, includes operating companies and active investments in the areas of real estate investment and development, finance, sports, media, and communications. McCourt LP is based in New York City with offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.

Contacts

McCourt Global

Matthew Rose, 212-314-1950

matt.rose@mg.com









Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/19335/en

GSMA Celebrates 4G Launch in Egypt and Commends the Government’s Commitment to Release More Spectrum in 2017

Launch of 4G Services Marks an Important Milestone for Egypt’s Economy and Society



LONDON - Tuesday, January 10th 2017 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The GSMA welcomes the successful launch of 4G services by mobile operators in Egypt, and believes that Egypt’s leadership in 4G will serve as catalyst for economic growth and deliver broad societal benefits.

During a recent visit to Egypt, the GSMA’s Director General Mats Granryd attended the CAIRO ICT Forum and engaged with leaders from the mobile operators and other Egyptian ICT companies. The GSMA found widespread industry support for the Government’s plans to release more spectrum in 2017, which were announced by HE Eng. Yasser ElKady and will further enhance the newly launched 4G services, allowing all mobile operators to offer quality 4G services to the people of Egypt.

“The GSMA is very pleased with the successful launch of 4G services in Egypt and we stand ready to engage with all stakeholders in Egypt to ensure continued success and growth of the Egyptian mobile economy. Having lived and worked in Egypt for several years, I feel confident that the launch of 4G will prove to be a key milestone for the country,” commented Granryd.

The International Telecommunication Union emphasises that abundant spectrum is essential to promoting competition and innovation in telecommunications markets.1 The Government’s plan to release more spectrum in 2017 can help ensure that sufficient spectrum is available for the delivery of high quality, competitive 4G services and to incentivise further investments in 4G networks.

John Giusti, the GSMA’s Chief Regulatory Officer noted: “In looking at other successful launches of 4G services, the total amount of spectrum assigned to each operator for 4G should be in the range of 2x30MHz to 2x60MHz, across a range of coverage and capacity bands, with a minimum contiguous bandwidth of 2x10MHz in each band. The GSMA looks forward to working with the Egyptian government as it plans the release of more mobile spectrum this year, so that mobile operators can extend 4G services and drive further socio-economic benefits for all Egyptian citizens.”

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with almost 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series of conferences.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

1 http://www.ictregulationtoolkit.org

Contacts
For the GSMA

Charlie Meredith-Hardy
+44 7917 298428
CMeredith-Hardy@webershandwick.com
or
GSMA Press Office
pressoffice@gsma.com




Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/19324/en

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

With OT, Burkina Faso Now Has the Most Secure Driving License and Vehicle Registration Document in Africa

COLOMBES, France - Wednesday, January 11th 2017 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- OT (Oberthur Technologies), a leading global provider of embedded security software products and services, today announces that its cutting edge solution, Lasink™, has been chosen by Burkina Faso through a multi-year contract to supply highly secure vehicle registration documents and driving licenses.

Through a public-private partnership, Burkina Faso's Ministry of Transport, Urban Mobility and Road Safety has decided to introduce ultra-secure driving licenses and vehicle registration documents in order to improve the quality of service given to its citizens and modernise its vehicle and driver documents while combating fraud. In addition to driving licenses and vehicle registration documents, and in collaboration with local partner Megamonde, OT is supplying the enrolment and personalization system as well as the training that will enable Burkinabé citizens to benefit from the most modern and secure documents in Africa.

Using the Lasink™ solution, OT's cutting edge technology, the country's driving license photographs are laser-engraved directly onto a polycarbonate card, which prevents counterfeiting thanks to its unique functionalities. Burkina Faso is therefore able to rapidly issue tamper-proof documents with simple, quick and innovative control methods.

The technologies used by fraudsters are constantly changing and OT continues to re-invent security functions to stay one step ahead of them. Lasink™ is the only colour-photo-on-polycarbonate solution that is easy to authenticate and that remains impossible to forge. This exclusive, patented technology by OT gives the card a lifespan of 10 years as well as the greatest possible security, mainly thanks to a card body that is impossible to delaminate.

The 5-year contract between OT and Burkina Faso is based on a volume of more than 3 million cards. OT is therefore becoming a long-term partner of Burkina Faso with a high-tech industrial approach that responds to the demands of the Burkinabé government.

"We are very pleased to allow Burkina Faso to benefit from our Lasink™ technology. It's a first for Africa and we're proud of the fact that this is with Burkina Faso. Thanks to Lasink™, the government will be able to implement a highly secure solution in order to reduce fraud and enable its citizens to authenticate themselves in a secure way and have complete confidence in their driving licenses and vehicle registration documents", says Christophe Fontaine, Managing Director of Citizen Access & Identity Business at OT.

Burkina Faso's Minister of Transport, Urban Mobility and Road Safety, Mr Souleymane Soulama, stated: "Burkina Faso has chosen to modernise and secure the production of its vehicle and driver documents by relying on a trusted industrial and financial partner, OT, which has been able to invest in making this project possible. The country is therefore taking a major technological leap forward allowing Burkina Faso to become the first African country to benefit from OT's cutting edge technology, Lasink™, a solution that offers increased security and reliability, while creating jobs”.

ABOUT OBERTHUR TECHNOLOGIES

OT is a world leader in embedded digital security that protects you when you connect, authenticate or pay.

OT is strategically positioned in high growth markets and offers embedded security software solutions for “end-point” devices as well as associated remote management solutions to a huge portfolio of international clients, including banks and financial institutions, mobile operators and governments, as well as manufacturers of connected objects and equipment.

OT employs over 6,500 employees worldwide, including almost 700 R&D people. With a global footprint of 4 regional secure manufacturing hubs and 39 secure service centres, OT’s international network serves clients in 169 countries. For more information: www.oberthur.com

Download The M World,
All you need to know about the latest trends of the Mobility world, available on AppStore and Google Play
www.oberthur.com/themworld

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL NETWORKS
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Contacts

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Elan-Edelman

Chloé Tisseuil, Tel. +33 1 86 21 50 54

chloe.tisseuil@elanedelman.com









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/19337/en

Elliott Acquires a Controlling Interest in Aeolus

HAMILTON, Bermuda - Friday, January 6th 2017 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aeolus Capital Management Ltd. (“Aeolus”) today announced the closing of the previously announced proposed transaction between Aeolus and Elliott Management Corporation (“Elliott”) pursuant to which Elliott Associates, L.P. and Elliott International, L.P., two funds managed by Elliott, have acquired a controlling interest in Aeolus and its affiliated entities.

Elliott acquired its controlling interest from Peter Appel, founder of Aeolus, and Allied World Assurance Company (“Allied World”), an investor in Aeolus since December 2012. Mr. Appel has retained a significant minority interest in Aeolus and will serve as its Non-Executive Chairman. Allied World has also retained a minority interest and will continue to be a substantial capital provider to the investor vehicles managed by Aeolus. The Aeolus management team, led by Andrew Bernstein, Chris Grasso, Trevor Jones and Frank Fischer, will continue in their current roles and retain their entire equity ownership interest in the business.

Aeolus Capital Management Ltd. manages capital on behalf of investors seeking the superior risk adjusted returns and diversification benefits available from investing in the property catastrophe reinsurance and retrocession market. Aeolus is based in Bermuda, a global reinsurance market, and its capital providers include some of the most sophisticated investors in the world. Aeolus currently has approximately $3 billion of assets under management, and since its inception, Aeolus and its predecessor entity, Aeolus Reinsurance Ltd., have provided over $25 billion of capacity to the reinsurance and retrocession market.

Elliott Management Corporation manages two multi-strategy hedge funds which combined have approximately $30 billion of assets under management. Its flagship fund, Elliott Associates, L.P., was founded in 1977, making it one of the oldest hedge funds under continuous management. The Elliott funds’ investors include pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, funds-of-funds, high net worth individuals and families, and employees of the firm.

Contacts

Aeolus Capital Management Ltd:

Trevor Jones, 441-405-4805

tjones@aeolus.com

or

Elliott Management Corporation:

Stephen Spruiell, 212-478-2017

sspruiell@elliottmgmt.com









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/19311/en

IBKR Launches Shenzhen-Hong Kong Connect Program, Expanding Access to China’s Emerging Industries

Rolls out new mobile and desktop trading features



GREENWICH, Conn. - Saturday, January 7th 2017 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBKR) has released its year-end IB Communiqué informing clients worldwide about its new Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect program. The company also rolled out enhancements to its IBot trading technology and IB Trader Workstation℠ platform (TWS) and launched new CME Globex products.

Shenzhen-Hong Kong Connect Program Launched

Interactive Brokers established a new Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect Program in November. This follows the 2014 creation of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program, which opened the Shanghai Stock Exchange to IB’s Hong Kong and international clients. With the new Shenzhen program, China continues to expand the stocks that are available to trade.

“As an exchange participant in this program, IB’s Hong Kong and international clients can now trade designated Chinese securities on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, giving them expanded access to China’s emerging industries,” said Steven Sanders, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Product Development at Interactive Brokers.

Get details on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange here.

IB Trader Workstation Now Offers Multilingual Voice Feedback

Clients can now customize IB’s desktop TWS platform to provide audio feedback for all key actions in their native language.

IBot Now Available on Mobile Devices

IBot, a language interface to trading, is now available on iOS as well as on the IB Trader Workstation. The voice recognition for mobile devices has been customized to comprehend financial terms. IBot understands commands relating to quotes, charts, orders, trades, market scanners, Level II data and account information. IBot users can now trade on the go, in addition to accessing quotes and charts.

Read more about IBot.

This year, IB made many improvements to its mobile trading platform – IB TWS for Mobile. These include enhancements to Order Entry, Option Chains and charts. IB’s mobile software lets clients trade from their IB account on almost any mobile device.

Facilitating trading further, Chinese clients can now get Traders Workstation for their Android devices from their local stores such as Baidu and Qihoo360.

Learn more about mobile trading.

New Financial Products Launched

Interactive Brokers expanded its product offerings this quarter to include CME Globex Natural Gas options.

For more new developments, read the entire year-end IB Communiqué here.

About Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.:

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, is an automated global electronic broker that specializes in catering to financial professionals by offering state-of-the-art trading technology, superior execution capabilities, worldwide electronic access, and sophisticated risk management tools at exceptionally low costs.

The brokerage trading platform utilizes the same innovative technology as the Company’s market making business, which specializes in routing orders and executing and processing trades in securities, futures, foreign exchange instruments, bonds and funds on more than 100 electronic exchanges and trading venues around the world. As a market maker, we provide liquidity at these marketplaces and, as a broker, we provide professional traders and investors with electronic access to stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and mutual funds from a single IB Universal Account℠.

Employing proprietary software on a global communications network, Interactive Brokers is continuously integrating its software with a growing number of exchanges and trading venues into one automatically functioning, computerized platform that requires minimal human intervention.    

Contacts

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.

For Investors:

Nancy Stuebe, 203-618-4070

or

For Media:

Kalen Holliday, 203-913-1369    









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/19315/en

Market Research Proves Success of Galderma’s Harmony Programme for Aesthetic Practice

LAUSANNE, Switzerland - Tuesday, January 10th 2017 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Market research concludes that Galderma’s Harmony Programme for aesthetic Health Care Professionals (HCPs) significantly increases patient satisfaction. Using Harmony resulted in more returning patients and led to an increase in full face treatments. The research results show how Harmony raises both treatment standards and value in aesthetic practices.

The Harmony programme allows HCPs to spend more time with patients, better understand and define their requests, and as a result, better respond to their expressed needs. Through Harmony, 82% of patients request full face treatment as compared to 63% pre-Harmony. 1

Harmony – Proven Consultation Programme for Aesthetic Practitioners
The Harmony Programme is the first of its kind in aesthetic patient management and now the first to show measured success by research. This new market report demonstrates overall patient satisfaction levels increased from 65% to 85% after the implementation of the Harmony Programme. 1

“Galderma developed The Harmony Programme as a comprehensive aesthetic consultation tool for structured, stepwise patient management to encourage dialogue between the practitioner and the patient, increasing patient awareness of the multiple needs that can be served with full face treatment options,” explains Ophélie Massaroni, Global Harmony Programme Manager, Galderma.

A High-Quality Consultation Framework to Grow Aesthetic Practices
The Harmony Programme has also enabled practitioners to increase retention from 53% to 73%.1 For Dr. Ravi Jain, Aesthetic Practitioner, Riverbanks Clinic (Harpenden, UK), “Harmony provides the practitioner a consistent high quality consultation framework. The patients are happier, they opt in for more combination treatments, and they refer more friends to us.”

The research demonstrates that with Harmony 51% of patients now receive a combination of facial injectable treatments, compared to 34% without the Harmony approach. 1

According to Ophélie Massaroni, “The Harmony Programme facilitates the development of a cost-effective personalized treatment plan for each patient. This creates value for money, as a satisfied patient will be more likely to continue with other treatments.” The research revealed the average patient spend increased by 48% following assessment with Harmony. 1

Higher Practitioner and Patient Satisfaction with Harmony
Dr. Jain continues, “Harmony provides a framework where we can go over their original consultation, making it easier to schedule future treatments. More importantly, Harmony allows the patient to participate in their own treatment plan.” Satisfaction with Harmony remains high after 12 months of implementation with 14 out of 15 practitioners likely to both recommend the programme and continue using it in their practice. 1

About Galderma
Galderma, Nestlé Skin Health’s medical solutions business, was created in 1981 and is now present in over 100 countries with an extensive product portfolio to treat a range of dermatological conditions. The company partners with health care practitioners around the world to meet the skin health needs of people throughout their lifetime. Galderma is a leader in research and development of scientifically-defined and medically-proven solutions for the skin, hair and nails.

About Harmony
The Harmony Programme is a patient management programme developed for leading Health Care Practitioners to master patient consultation. Launched in 2014, Harmony was designed in association with an international multidisciplinary panel of experts. It provides a novel stepwise patient assessment and management method including a suite of sophisticated tools for assessment, facial analysis, and treatment plan follow-up.
http://www.restylane.com/Treatments/Treatment-step-by-step/

References:
1. VIPP Market Research by Research Partnership: Pre-Harmony, Post-Harmony 6-months; Post-Harmony 12-months. 2016.

Contacts

For additional information:

Galderma

Mårten Forrest, +46 768 98 1106

Head of PR & Communication

Aesthetic & Corrective Business

marten.forrest@galderma.com









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/19326/en

Keller Rohrback Client Named 2016 Arms Control Person of the Year

SEATTLE - Tuesday, January 10th 2017 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Keller Rohrback is delighted to announce that the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and its former Foreign Minister Tony deBrum, have been officially named the “2016 Arms Control Person of the Year,” based on the RMI’s unprecedented legal actions to enforce the obligation to negotiate nuclear disarmament in good faith.

Read the Arms Control Association’s announcement of this prestigious award.

Keller Rohrback represented the RMI in the Nuclear Zero lawsuits at the International Court of Justice in The Hague and also represents them in the United States, where the RMI has asked the Court to order the U.S. to fulfill its binding and inescapable legal obligation under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to negotiate nuclear disarmament in good faith. Based on the legal actions, the RMI previously received the Right Livelihood Award, widely known as the “alternative Nobel Prize,” and also was nominated by the International Peace Bureau for the Nobel Prize.

Laurie Ashton, who leads the U.S. litigation and was on the legal team representing the RMI in The Hague, said, “It is such an honor to represent the RMI in these important proceedings and we congratulate them on being named the 2016 Arms Control Person of the Year. Every single one of us owes the RMI an enormous debt of gratitude for the fearless actions they take not only on their own behalf, but on behalf of humanity.” Nuclear Age Peace Foundation President David Krieger, who has actively championed the Nuclear Zero lawsuits since their inception, added, “This honor demonstrates the enthusiasm people share for concrete and courageous action to enforce nuclear disarmament obligations.” The legal briefing is available at http://www.nuclearzero.org/in-the-courts.

Keller Rohrback L.L.P. is a law firm based in the United States that represents clients throughout the world. The firm has offices in Seattle, New York, Phoenix, and Santa Barbara, and is affiliated with independent law firms in Europe, South America, and Asia.

Contacts

Keller Rohrback L.L.P.

Laurie Ashton, 602-248-0088

3101 North Central Avenue, Suite 1400

Phoenix, Arizona 85012

lashton@kellerrohrback.com

http://www.kellerrohrback.com









Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/19323/en