October 24, 2023 – Senegal Newswire

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre Announces Innovative Clinical Pharmacogenomics

Enhances Drug Effectiveness and Patient Safety

Genomic building – KFSH&RC

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH&RC) is proud to announce the launch of the inaugural phase of its clinical pharmacogenomics service within its Heart Center. This pioneering service leverages the patient’s DNA to tailor drug dosages and selections, heralding a new era in healthcare that prioritizes personalized treatment for each individual. This groundbreaking approach is poised to enhance treatment outcomes and reduce potential harm.

KFSH&RC’s experts have said that this analysis empowers physicians to prescribe medications customized to each patient, factoring in their unique health conditions and genetic traits. Patients’ responses to pharmaceuticals can significantly differ based on their genetic profiles. As a result, what proves effective for one patient may have minimal impact in another. It is worth noting that statistics reveal that 15% of hospital admissions stem from adverse drug reactions, imposing substantial financial and human burdens on healthcare systems across the globe.

This innovative service is a collaborative endeavor between the Centre for Genomic Medicine, Healthcare Information Technology Affairs, and the Pharmaceutical Care Department at KFSH&RC. In its initial phase, this service encompasses six of the most frequently prescribed medications, as determined by hospital data, whose efficacy is known to be influenced by genetic variations.

KFSH&RC has made it clear that it remains committed to expanding the scope of this service progressively, encompassing all hospital departments. This expansion underscores the hospital’s unwavering dedication to providing personalized healthcare to every patient, ensuring the utmost level of safety, and minimizing harm, while adhering to the latest globally endorsed scientific practices.

At the Global Health Exhibition held in Riyadh from October 29th to 31st, where KFSH&RC plays a vital role as a strategic health partner, the hospital is set to unveil the innovative service that promises to advance healthcare outcomes in the region.

KFSH&RC stated that it is moving to gradually expand the scope of application of the service to include all medical specialties as part of its commitment to providing personalized health care for each patient at the highest level of safety and prevention of harm and to harness the latest scientifically proven practices around the world.

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center is considered among the most prominent in the world in providing specialized health care, a pioneer in innovation, and an advanced medical research and education center. It also seeks to develop medical technologies and raise health care worldwide in partnership with prominent local, regional and international institutions. To achieve world-class service in the clinical, research, and educational fields.

Contact information:

kfshrc@mcsaatchi.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9e826983-52ae-4fe5-8579-0cbdfcca9d1c

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8964787

Hitachi Energy passes 150 GW in HVDC links integrated into the power system, expands capacity to meet accelerating energy transition demand

• $3 billion investment globally, in manufacturing and engineering footprint, R&D and partnerships • Workforce expansion with more than 8,000 people hired • 150 GW of HVDC links integrated into the power system by Hitachi Energy

Zurich, Switzerland, Oct. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hitachi Energy, a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all, announced today that it has enabled more than 150-gigawatts (GW) of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) links around the world integrated into the power system – sufficient to meet the peak power demand for Japan. The announcement follows the delivery of the first power from Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore wind development, via the UK’s first-time use of HVDC technology on a wind farm.

The company has consistently expanded its capacity to meet accelerating demand driven by the clean energy transition. Since 2020, when Hitachi began its strategic investment, Hitachi Energy has increased its workforce by more than 8,000. Within the same period, the company also invested $3 billion in manufacturing and engineering footprint, and Research & Development (R&D), expanding collaboration and driving the company to become the strategic partner throughout the customers’ entire lifecycle.

“Electricity will be the backbone of the entire energy system and will help to drive the clean energy transition. Today’s announcement shows how we are enabling our customers to accelerate the development of the power grids that energy system requires,” said Claudio Facchin, CEO of Hitachi Energy.

The continuing investments are in line with the Hitachi Energy 2030 Plan and Hitachi’s Mid-term Management Plan 2024.

Investments in the three focus areas of Hitachi Energy 2030 Plan:

1. Continuously strengthening the power grid core business
The company has invested heavily in expanding capacity and new hires across the globe in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, North and South America, and Asia Pacific. Examples from this year alone are the power quality factory and the global technology and innovation center in India, and the transformer factory in China. In addition, it has recently invested in Sweden, Switzerland, and the US.

Investments in R&D
Sustainable solutions: EconiQ contains no sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) proven to significantly reduce carbon footprint throughout the entire life cycle. Next-generation power semiconductors like RoadPak for e-Mobility. Digital technologies like Lumada Asset Performance Management and IdentiQ for HVDC and power quality.

2. Doubling efforts on digital and services and expansion at the edge of the energy system
Digitalization and Service: The new generation of Lumada Asset Performance Management software solution features advantages of Artificial Intelligence; the acquisition of majority stake in eks Energy, a power conversion technology provider to enhance storage and flexibility at the edge of the energy system.

3. Innovation, synergies, partnerships, and M&A to accelerate growth
Increasingly strong collaborations have led to new business models, framework agreements for capacity reservation, and global standards, allowing for better planning to meet demands. Some key projects enabled by the company’s technologies are Champlain Hudson Power Express, TenneT’s 2GW Program, and Project Lightning, a first-of-its-kind subsea power transmission project.

The IEA report, “Electricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitions” states that grid investment needs to nearly double by 2030 to over $600 billion per year after stagnation at the global level, and building out of grids requires a secure supply chain and a skilled workforce.

Rapid electrification of transport, buildings, and industries is increasing the demand for secure, sustainable, and flexible electricity globally. The company is committed to continuously strengthening its business toward the forecast of the 2050 energy system; where it sees an installed global power generation capacity of four times today and a transfer of electrical energy, which is three times compared to what it is today.

“Since we started the journey with Hitachi in July 2020, we have been able to accelerate our growth and expansion, also leveraging synergies across Hitachi Group,” Facchin added. “With more than a century of energy expertise, combined with digitalization as an enabler, we can scale at pace and provide innovative services and solutions to our customers. As Hitachi, we have a unique position across IT, OT and product capabilities to support our customers throughout the entire lifecycle.”

About Hitachi Energy Ltd.

Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all. We serve customers in the utility, industry and infrastructure sectors with innovative solutions and services across the value chain. Together with customers and partners, we pioneer technologies and enable the digital transformation required to accelerate the energy transition towards a carbon-neutral future. We are advancing the world’s energy system to become more sustainable, flexible and secure whilst balancing social, environmental and economic value. Hitachi Energy has a proven track record and unparalleled installed base in more than 140 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, we employ around 40,000 people in 90 countries and generate business volumes of over $10 billion USD.
https://www.hitachienergy.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hitachienergy
https://twitter.com/HitachiEnergy

About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society through the use of data and technology. We solve customers’ and society’s challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products. Hitachi operates under the business structure of “Digital Systems & Services” – supporting our customers’ digital transformation; “Green Energy & Mobility” – contributing to a decarbonized society through energy and railway systems, and “Connective Industries” – connecting products through digital technology to provide solutions in various industries. Driven by Digital, Green, and Innovation, we aim for growth through co-creation with our customers. The company’s consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2022 (ended March 31, 2023) totaled 10,881.1 billion yen, with 696 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at https://www.hitachi.com.

Attachments

Jocelyn Chang
Hitachi Energy
media.relations@hitachienergy.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8964623

Hitachi Energy acquires eks Energy

Strategic acquisition adds advanced power electronics and energy management software capabilities to meet accelerated, global demand for battery energy storage solutions

Zurich, Switzerland, Oct. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hitachi Energy, a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all, announced today that it has acquired a controlling stake of eks Energy, a leading supplier of power electronics and energy management solutions for storage and renewables integration, based in Seville, Spain, from Powin LLC (Powin), a top global energy storage system provider. The investment also marks the establishment of a strategic partnership with Powin, who maintains a significant ownership stake in eks Energy.

As the world transitions to more renewable energy sources, the global demand for battery energy storage systems (BESS) continues to surge and is expected to grow more than 20 percent per year through 2030¹. By combining eks Energy’s power electronics and advanced control capabilities with its own highly complementary automation, software, and system integration offerings, Hitachi Energy fortifies its position as a leading-edge technology provider to the renewables and BESS market. With the strategic partnership, Hitachi Energy and Powin aim to apply the strength of the two firms to develop power conversion products specifically designed for the next generation of energy storage systems.

“Hitachi Energy has been an innovative force in the BESS and microgrid space for more than 30 years, and this strategic acquisition demonstrates our continued commitment to deliver the most advanced and proven solutions for our customers,” said Massimo Danieli, Managing Director for the Hitachi Energy Grid Automation Business Unit. “The market, including leading BESS system integrators, has made it clear that it needs and wants energy solutions powered by best-in-class power electronics integrated with control and digital capabilities. New applications and use cases are emerging every day, driven by the ever-increasing need for integration of renewable resources in the grid and electrification at the grid edge. eks Energy has an impressive product deployment footprint in North America and Europe, and under Powin has further extended their global reach. With this significant addition to our portfolio, Hitachi Energy is ready to address the demands of the fast-growing global BESS market with speed and scale.”

“This strategic investment marks a significant milestone in the energy storage industry, as it paves the way for Hitachi, Powin and eks Energy to align their strengths in exploring new opportunities on a global scale as well as an ability to better serve new and existing customers,” said Jeff Waters, CEO of Powin. “We are proud of what we have already developed with eks Energy, including one of the world’s largest battery projects in history, the Waratah Super Battery (WSB) where eks Energy’s unrivaled power conversion systems are able to meet the Australian grid operators’ high standards of performance. We look forward to continuing to work with eks Energy and Hitachi Energy to bring more projects like WSB to the world.”

The addition of eks Energy to the Hitachi Energy portfolio demonstrates accelerated traction on the company’s 2030 strategic growth plan. Hitachi Energy is continuously strengthening its power grids core business while advancing the world’s energy system to be more sustainable, flexible and secure. This acquisition increases our core capabilities at the edge of the grid including digital, power electronics and services, toward the larger goal of advancing a sustainable energy future for all.

Nomura Greentech acted as exclusive financial advisor and Shearman & Sterling acted as legal advisor to Hitachi Energy.

Footnotes
¹From BNEF 1H 2023 Energy Storage Market Outlook

About Hitachi Energy Ltd.
Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all. We serve customers in the utility, industry and infrastructure sectors with innovative solutions and services across the value chain. Together with customers and partners, we pioneer technologies and enable the digital transformation required to accelerate the energy transition towards a carbon-neutral future. We are advancing the world’s energy system to become more sustainable, flexible and secure whilst balancing social, environmental and economic value. Hitachi Energy has a proven track record and unparalleled installed base in more than 140 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, we employ around 40,000 people in 90 countries and generate business volumes of over $10 billion USD.
https://www.hitachienergy.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hitachienergy
https://twitter.com/HitachiEnergy

About Powin
At Powin, we are advancing the next frontier of energy and changing the way we power our daily lives by ensuring access to clean, resilient, and affordable power. As a global energy platform provider, we offer fully integrated battery storage solutions, software, and services to optimize grid performance and enable the transition to cleaner energy sources. To date, Powin has deployed over 3,200 MWh of battery systems worldwide with 11,900 MWh under construction. To learn more, please visit www.powin.com

Attachment

Hitachi Energy acquires eks Energy

Jocelyn Chang
Hitachi Energy
media.relations@hitachienergy.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8964622

Kennedy Agyepong will be the best President in Ghana’s political history – Atowe

Madam Linda Atowe, mother of one of Kennedy Agyapong’s children has described him ( Ken Agyapong) as a generous, God fearing and kind-hearted person whose leadership as President of the land will benefit most Ghanaians. ‘He possesses some rare hidden qualities, which some politicians especially corrupt people detest because of fear of exposure’. Madam Linda Atowe, a former employee of the defunct Ghana Airways told the GNA in an interview that many people at the top hierarchy of government might not want Ken Agyapong to lead them because there will be no room for underground dealings to amass wealth. ‘I have known Ken for many years, had a child with him and I know what I am talking about. He has a clean and kind heart and he does not discriminate’, she explained. Madam Atowe, who hails from Navrongo in the Upper East Region said, ‘I have been monitoring Ken’s utterances in the ongoing campaign of the NPP to choose a presidential candidate as well as observing public reactions. _He is not pretending to be who he is not in terms of communication to the delegates. ‘He is a problem solver and results oriented as well as enigmatic human being, which Ghanaians must try’, she emphasized ‘He has mentored a lot of politicians who are occupying key positions in the current government today. In fact, business is his other name and he used to tell me the country must focus and create business opportunities for all persons for the needed development’, she said. Madam Atowe said, ‘I have only one child with him and he has given the child a house and any other month, he shops and send us money for our upkeep’. According to her, Mr Agyepong’s ambition to become President was because ‘Ghana needs to get rid of people who claim to love Ghana but milk the country dry’. ‘Someone who is strict and will not reverse his words is who Ken is and he never promised and failed. I can also say in confidence that he can rule the country with honesty if voted for’, she said. She said she was speaking out because many Ghanaians did not know the other side of him saying, ‘Again he has publicly told the world about the number of children he has and I must confirm that my child is one of them. ‘One other thing he hates in his life is lies and stealing. Ken had always maintained that people who lie are not trustworthy and could be thieves. ‘I also believe that someone who has children across the country would ensure equitable distribution of the national cake’, she said. Madam Atowe therefore appealed to delegates to withstand monetary influence and abuse of incumbency and vote for Ken Agyapong to lead them in 2024. ‘I must admit that all the contestants are capable but in terms of competence and delivery, Ken tops them’, she said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Three Cameroonians to serve jail time over immigration and documentation crimes

Three Cameroonians who underwent the process of acquiring Ghanaian passports with their Ghana National Identity Cards to travel to Europe, have been jailed and fined by a Madina District Court. Tibab Beltus Mbachick, Mbaku Ransson, Mba Dieudonne Akuro were fined GHC4,000 each and they are to serve a month’s imprisonment each. The court presided over by Rosemary Abena Gyimah, ordered that the convicts in default of the fine should serve three months imprisonment each. The three Cameroonians pleaded guilty to attempting to obtain Ghanaian passports by false declaration, obtaining Ghana Birth Certificates by false declaration and obtaining Ghana National Identity Cards by false declaration and entering and remaining in Ghana without permit. The court fined them to pay GHC1,000 on each in default serve 12 months jail terms each of the charges meaning they were to pay a total of GHC4,000 each. Additionally, the court sentenced them to serve a month imprisonment each. Sentences to run consecutively. Mohammed Abdul Kadir Halid, who acted as a father, and being held on charge of abetment of crime to wit, attempting to obtain Ghanaian Passports by false declaration. Halid pleaded not guilty, and he was admitted to bail in the sum of GHC30,000 with two sureties to be justified. The matter has been adjourned to October 20, for the Case Management Conference (CMC). The court has also directed prosecution led by Assistant Inspector Segbefia Jerry Foster and Assistant Superintendent of Immigration Appiah Kusi Kuffour to file their disclosures. Prosecution’s case was that Mbachick is a 25-year-old footballer, Ransson is also a 25-year-old trader while Akuor is a 24-year-old painter. It said Halid a 50-year-old taxi-driver and a Ghanaian. The prosecutor told the court that the convicts were undergoing the process of acquiring Ghanaian Passports when officials of the Ghana Immigration Service suspected them of not being Ghanaians. Prosecution said the convicts were therefore referred to the National Enforcement Section of the Ghana Immigration Service for further investigations. It said information on the convicts’ revealed that they were all Cameroonians born to Cameroonian parents and the information on their Ghana Birth Certificates were false. Prosecution told the court that the convicts wanted to Ghanaian passports to travel to Europe in search of greener pastures. They were therefore connected to one Rabiu, a Ghanaian by their uncle who resides in Switzerland. It said the said Rabiu assisted them to acquire the Ghanaian Birth Certificates with entry number 4116, 4111, 4595 and Ghana National Identity Cards (Ghana Cards) with personal ID numbers GHA- 729292726-2, GHA-729292701-5, and GHA- 729292665-6 respectively. Prosecution said Rabiu brought and completed online passport application forms and booked an appointment date for them to appear in person to go through the final process. It said Halid, who is a friend to Rabiu represented the convicts as their father. According to prosecution, Halid knew them to be Cameroonians yet gave them Ghanaian names to conceal their nationality and escorted them to the Passport Office. Prosecution said investigations revealed that the convicts were not Mohammed Abdul Kadir, Yusif Abdul Kadir and Ibrahim Abdul Kadir, as stated on their birth certificates. It said further investigations revealed that the convicts entered the country through an unauthorized border crossing point around Aflao border post and have since remained in the country without permit. According to prosecution, all efforts to get the said Rabiu arrested have proved futile.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Impressions of Alexandria – Gallery

The city of Alexandria is a Mediterranean port city in Egypt. It was founded by Alexander the Great, in 331BC. During the Hellenistic period, it was home to a lighthouse, ranked among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Now considered as Egypt’s second capital, Alexandria is the country’s leading port, commercial, tourism and transportation centre. It is also a major industrial area where petroleum is refined, and asphalt, cotton textiles, processed food, paper, plastics and styrofoam are produced. Famous for its beautiful landmarks, including Architectural Buildings, the storied Library, and the 15th century Qaitbey Citadel among others, the city also has Greco-Roman landmarks, old-world cafes and sandy beaches. Ghana News Agency Photojournalist, Nii Martey M. Botchway who was in Egypt for a training course captured these scenes and landmarks from Alexandria:

Source: Ghana News Agency