The IPv6 protocol is the key not only to driving development of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the region, but also constitutes a vital tool for connecting with 40% of the Latin Americans who still have no Internet, emphasized LACNIC President, Warder Maia.

LACNIC 27, the most important meeting of Internet professionals  from Latin America and the Caribbean, was held in Foz de Iguaçú, Brazil, with the support of NIC.br and CGI.br.

Maia emphasized that in 2017, LACNIC is celebrating 15 years of institutional life, and placed special emphasis on the construction of the Regional Internet Register community, which has made possible development of a Web suited to the needs of Latin American and Caribbean users.

This year, Latin America and the Caribbean achieved Internet penetration of 59.6%.  As per this last figure, the region’s Internet community now stands at 385 million users, incorporating 40 million new ones in the past year. “It’s a reason for pride, and at the same time a double challenge, because we have to connect those who are not connected, while keeping on the Web those who are already there,” said Maia.

During the event, emerging technological trends were addressed, and their impact on the future development of the Internet in the coming decade in the panel, “The Internet of the future: its evolution in the next 10 years.” Moderated by Oscar Robles (CEO of LACNIC), the panel featured the participation of Adiel Akplogan (ICANN), Christine Hoepers (CGI.br), Flavio Amaral (Netflix) and Matías Quintanilla (Telefónica Argentina).

Furthermore, for the first time at a LACNIC gathering, ICANN CEO Göran Marby made an appearance, and presented “ICANN – after the transition from IANA supervisory functions.” He recognized the digital community’s work and stressed the growth of IPv6 in relation to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Out of the event’s five days, one of them was dedicated to IPv6 Day, with a panel of success stories where good practices and examples from the region were presented (Telefónica Brasil, COPEL, ANTEL de Uruguay and Telecentro Argentina).

Another highlight of LACNIC 27 was a presentation by the region’s first anti-abuse group, an initiative to strengthen the fight against online threats.

Meanwhile, LACNIC’s inclination towards greater  participation by women in IT in Latin America and the Caribbean was reflected in the heavy attendance at the panel on diversity and inclusion. Organized by the discussion list ‘IT Woman,’ the initiative sought to strengthen regional women’s role in the Internet community.

]]> https://caribpr.com/lacnic-27-experts-highlight-growth-of-internet-ipv6-protocol-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/feed/ 0 https://caribpr.com/brazil-is-the-site-of-the-most-important-internet-event-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/ https://caribpr.com/brazil-is-the-site-of-the-most-important-internet-event-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/#comments Wed, 24 May 2017 00:23:27 +0000 caribpr http://caribpr.com/?p=13139

FOZ DO IGUAÇU, Brazil, May 23, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The promotion of integrated efforts at developing the Internet in Latin America and the Caribbean was prominently underscored during the first day of sessions of the meeting LACNIC 27, being held May 22-26 in Foz do Iguaçu.

The opening session featured Ariel Graizer (LAC-IX), Eduardo Santoyo (LACTLD), Demi Getschko (NIC.br), Hartmut Glaser (CGI.br), and Wardner Maia (LACNIC). “Given the overwhelming interest, registration had to be closed two weeks before the start,” said Maia. More than 650 people were in attendance, not including the 420 attending from a distance. The session also included a welcome by LACNIC’s president to the first woman to serve as co-moderator of the LACNIC Public Policy Forum, Paola Pérez.

Demi Getschko stressed the importance of being able to contribute as a co-organizer of the debates generated at LACNIC events. “Several challenges in the Internet space have caused concern, including attacks, regulations and neutrality. It is, therefore, important for us to remain vigilant of aspects such as these that can affect the Internet as a whole,” he explained. Harmut Glaser reminded everyone that “this week, the Internet’s headquarters in Latin America and the Caribbean is Foz do Iguaçu.” Certain topics of special interest to the region, such as IPv6 growth and local traffic exchange, were also highlighted.

The panel on the “Internet of the Future: Its Evolution over the Next 10 Years” was moderated by Oscar Robles, Executive Director of LACNIC, and included members Adiel Akplogan (ICANN), Cristine Hoepers (CERT.br), Flavio Amaral (Netflix) and Matías Quintanilla (Telefónica Argentina). Cristine addressed concerns such as security, stating that these should not focus solely on an attack response, but also implementation of good practices that do not increase the contribution of devices and networks with attacks. Adiel underscored the need to consider privacy at every level of the network. Flavio talked about the increasing interest of companies in providing users with more and more personalized content. Matías wrapped up the session discussing the important role that the 5G will play in the medium-term evolution of the Internet.

The opening session also included ICANN CEO Göran Marby. “The Internet gets larger when we connect and smaller when we disconnect. It is because of this that we need for more people from different places to say what needs to be improved and how. The collaboration that exists in Latin America and the Caribbean is a model for the rest of the world.”

The 27th meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC) will hold activities through May 26 and is co-organized with the support of the Internet Management Committee in Brazil (CGI.br) and Information and Coordination Nucleus of Dot BR (NIC.br). Those who are interested in following the debates can participate from a distance at http://www.lacnic.net/web/eventos/lacnic27 ]]> https://caribpr.com/brazil-is-the-site-of-the-most-important-internet-event-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/feed/ 0 https://caribpr.com/sc-johnson-central-america-named-the-top-2017-best-multinational-workplace/ https://caribpr.com/sc-johnson-central-america-named-the-top-2017-best-multinational-workplace/#comments Thu, 04 May 2017 17:29:28 +0000 caribpr http://caribpr.com/?p=13099 Company Recognized for Culture of Respect and Inclusion for the 10th Time

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, May 2, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — LACNIC will be holding its 27^th meeting together with NIC.br on 22-26 May at the Bourbon Cataratas Hotel in Foz do Iguaçu, Brasil. Topics to be presented during the meeting include IPv6 implementation success stories in the LAC region, the final stage of IPv4 exhaustion, progress made by Latin American and Caribbean Internet exchange points, and major threats to cybersecurity.

With more than 700 registered participants from more than 30 Latin American and Caribbean countries, the LACNIC 27 meeting will also address emerging trends in technology and their impact on the future development of the Internet over the next 10 years, as well as women’s participation in Information Technologies with a panel especially devoted to this topic.

One of the critical aspects of the Foz do Iguaçu meeting will be accelerating IPv6 deployment after IPv4 exhaustion at a time when the region has reached an Internet penetration rate of 59.6%. According to the latest information available on 31^st March, the Latin American and Caribbean community has already reached 385 million users, having incorporated 40 million new users over the past year (Internet World Stats, http://www.internetworldstats.com/).

The IPv6 protocol is key not only to foster the development of the Internet of Things throughout the region, but also because it is a vital tool for connecting 40% of Latin Americans who do not yet have access to the Internet. There are 255 million users in this situation and only 4 million IPv4 addresses, so IPv6 is essential for any project aimed at providing access to such communities.

As expected, much of the analysis and discussions in Foz do Iguaçu will focus on IPv6 deployment. The event will also include a panel on successful cases of IPv6 implementation in the region (examples in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay) and the IPv6 Challenge aimed at recognizing projects that have promoted the implementation of version 6 of the IP protocol.

According to research conducted by LACNIC, at least nine countries of the region already have more than 1% of their traffic over IPv6: Guatemala, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Trinidad Tobago, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru.

Likewise, the first regional anti-abuse group formed by LACNIC, LACNOG and M3AAWG will be officially presented and five proposals for policy modifications will be discussed during the Policy Forum.

This meeting would not be possible without the support of its sponsors: Cisco, Huawei, Google, NTT Communications, Internet Society, ICANN, Netflix , Arbor, Facebook, Antel, Telcomanager, Grupo Binario, GlobeNet, Ams-ix, Secure64, IP Trading, Furukawa and our local organizer NIC.br.

We encourage everyone with an interest in these issues to participate remotely at http://www.lacnic.net/web/eventos/lacnic27 ]]> https://caribpr.com/lacnic-27-key-debates-on-the-future-of-the-internet-and-ipv6-deployment-in-the-region/feed/ 0 https://caribpr.com/oxitec-opens-large-scale-mosquito-production-facility-in-brazil/ https://caribpr.com/oxitec-opens-large-scale-mosquito-production-facility-in-brazil/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2016 14:11:50 +0000 caribpr http://caribpr.com/?p=12888 Capacity to Produce 60 Million Friendly™ Aedes per Week can Help Protect Up to 3 Million Brazilians from Primary Vector for Zika, Dengue and other Viruses

OXFORD, England, Oct. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ –Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON), a leader in the engineering and industrialization of biology to improve the quality of life and health of the planet, today announced its wholly owned subsidiary Oxitec has opened its new Friendly™ Aedes mosquito production facility in Piracicaba, Brazil.  The new 5,000 m² facility has the capacity to produce 60 million Friendly™ Aedes per week which can help protect up to 3 million people by significantly reducing local populations of the dangerous Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Lieutenant General (Ret.) Thomas P. Bostick, Ph.D., P.E., Senior Vice President and Head of Intrexon’s Environment Sector stated, “The scalability of our biological solution has taken a meaningful step forward with the inauguration of this new world-class facility in Brazil.  With the rising global incidence of harmful viral infections including Zika, dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and now Mayaro, driven primarily by the bite of the dangerous Aedes aegypti, it is essential we make Oxitec’s proven, unparalleled Friendly™ Aedes vector control solution more available to the many countries this disease-spreading mosquito has invaded.  We continue to engage and work with numerous government agencies and non-governmental organizations to achieve this mission.”

Oxitec’s pioneering biological method involves the release of engineered, non-biting male mosquitoes that mate with wild females.  The resulting offspring inherit a self-limiting gene preventing them from reaching adulthood and the males themselves die within days providing an eco-friendly solution that solely targets Aedes aegypti and does not persist in the environment.  Oxitec will utilize a portion of the new facility’s significant production capability to support its ongoing deployment program in Piracicaba’s downtown area and CECAP/Eldorado district to suppress Aedes aegypti.

In conjunction with independent collaborators, Oxitec has conducted five open field trials of its self-limiting mosquitoes in Brazil, Panama and the Cayman Islands.  Each trial led to a greater than 90% reduction of the wild Aedes aegypti population, achieving these unparalleled suppression results within six months on average.  More recently, Piracicaba’s Epidemiologic Surveillance service released data showing the incidence of dengue had decreased by 91% to just 12 cases in the CECAP/Eldorado district where Friendly™ Aedes mosquitoes were released, compared to a 52% reduction in the rest of the city during the same 12-month period.

Notably the public support for the Friendly™ Aedes project has been strong. A survey conducted by the CW7 Market Research Institute in mid-2016 showed that 98% of Piracicaba’s citizens support the use of innovative tools to fight dengue, Zika and chikungunya, and 88% support the use of Friendly™ Aedes.

“This Friendly™ Aedes facility increases our current production capacity 30-fold in Brazil”, says Glen Slade, Oxitec’s VP and Director of Oxitec do Brasil. “This reaffirms our ability to produce Friendly™ Aedes at scale, and we are ready to expand our production even further to help protect the people of Brazil and beyond.”

About Intrexon Corporation
Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON) is Powering the Bioindustrial Revolution with Better DNA^™ to create biologically-based products that improve the quality of life and the health of the planet.  The Company’s integrated technology suite provides its partners across diverse markets with industrial-scale design and development of complex biological systems delivering unprecedented control, quality, function, and performance of living cells.  We call our synthetic biology approach Better DNA^®, and we invite you to discover more at www.dna.com or follow us on Twitter at @Intrexon.

Trademarks
Intrexon, Powering the Bioindustrial Revolution with Better DNA, and Better DNA are trademarks of Intrexon and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Safe Harbor Statement
Some of the statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements.  These forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and projections about future events and generally relate to our plans, objectives and expectations for the development of our business.  Although management believes that the plans and objectives reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and actual future results may be materially different from the plans, objectives and expectations expressed in this press release.

JACKSONVILLE, Florida, July 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ – APR Energy, a global leader in fast-track power solutions, announces today the appointment of Carlos Mousadi as Regional Sales Director Americas.

“Carlos brings more than a decade and a half of sales experience and deep knowledge of the Latin American power generation market to our expanding global commercial team,” said Silvio Cavaceppi, vice president of business development and marketing. “His vast experience using turbines and working with alternative fuels such as LPG will be especially valuable as we provide customers in the region with fast-track, fuel-flexible power solutions that can save customers significant money in fuel costs.”

Prior to joining APR Energy, Mousadi was director of sales at Siemens Energy Inc., where he focused on simple and combined-cycle fossil power plants solutions for customers throughout Latin America. Earlier at Siemens, he served as director of operations management, business excellence and business development with a concentration on Latin America.

About APR Energy

APR Energy is the world’s leading provider of fast-track mobile turbine power. Our fast, flexible and full-service power solutions provide customers with rapid access to reliable electricity when and where they need it, for as long as they need it. Combining state-of-the-art, fuel-efficient technology with industry-leading expertise, our scalable turnkey plants help run cities, countries and industries around the world, in both developed and developing markets. For more information, visit the Company’s website at www.aprenergy.com.

Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120207/FL48583LOGO

Finalists now competing for $9 Million USD in Innovation Funds

NEW YORK, June 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ – Bloomberg Philanthropies today announced the 20 Latin American and Caribbean cities selected as finalists in its 2016 Mayors Challenge, a competition that encourages cities to generate bold ideas that solve urban challenges and improve city life – and have potential to spread.  The finalists, hailing from 10 countries, will move forward to compete for a $5 million USD grand prize and four $1 million awards, as well as extensive implementation support. The ideas reflect creative new approaches to some of the most pressing issues facing cities in the region, including mobility, youth unemployment, waste management, obesity, and social and economic inclusion for immigrants and people with disabilities.

“We received so many great ideas for this Mayors Challenge, and narrowing it down to just 20 finalists was a big challenge in itself. These ideas really capture the diversity of the region and the creativity and commitment of its leaders and citizens in making cities work better. Each of them has the potential to improve the lives of local residents — and if they work, to spread far and wide. We look forward to working with all of the finalists on their proposals and to seeing the winning cities bring them to life,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term Mayor of New York City.

The 2016 Mayors Challenge is Bloomberg Philanthropies’ first in Latin America and the Caribbean following successful competitions in the United States and Europe. After receiving submissions from 290 eligible cities in April, Bloomberg Philanthropies conducted an intensive review of the ideas with the support of Bloomberg’s extensive global network and a selection committee of 13 innovation and policy experts from across Latin America and the Caribbean. Ultimately, the top 20 best and most innovative ideas were selected to move forward in the competition.

The 20 finalist ideas were evaluated against four key criteria – their idea’s vision, potential for impact, implementation plan, and potential to spread to other cities. Finalists will next attend Bloomberg Ideas Camp in Bogotá, Colombia – a two-day convening in July where leading innovation experts and peer cities will help finalists take their proposals from good to great. Prize winners will be announced by the end of 2016.

The finalists’ ideas (outlined below) illustrate fresh thinking to address common urban challenges experienced by cities across regions:

1. Asunción, Paraguay – Data: Closing the city’s socio-economic data gap by conducting citizen-led research to gather demographic information that can inform and measure the impact of policymaking for the first time.
2. Barueri, Brazil – Social Inclusion for People with Disabilities/Workforce Development: Increasing access to the workforce for people with disabilities by creating a physical and virtual network to improve job training, analyze workplace conditions, and provide technical assistance to employers and job candidates.
3. Bogotá, Colombia – Education: Twice daily, the city will leverage all transportation channels, public facilities, volunteers and the city’s cultural history to enhance and shorten the severe school commute times for children.
4. Cap-Haïtien , Haiti – Waste Solutions/ Environment: Reducing deforestation and mangrove destruction by creating community biodigesters, which are closed containers that break down organic waste and turn it into renewable energy.
5. Caracas, Venezuela – Social Inclusion for People with Disabilities/Mobility: Enrolling volunteers to drive people with motor disabilities to and from public transport points and providing assistance during their commutes,  opening access to education, culture, healthcare, employment and productive citizenship for a vulnerable segment of the population.
6. Corumbá, Brazil – Environment/ Economic Development: Combatting further environmental degradation caused by improper disposal of ore – a mining byproduct – by repurposing the waste into productive materials for construction.
7. Curitiba, Brazil – Social Inclusion for People with Disabilities/Mobility: Drawing on its history of transit innovation, improving the mobility of disabled people by integrating more inclusive transport services and introducing better designed routes.
8. Estación Central, Chile – Social Inclusion for Immigrants / Entrepreneurship: Promoting social inclusion by matching immigrants with new business ideas to technical assistance, office space, and local entrepreneurs looking to partner to launch a new startup.
9. Godoy Cruz, Argentina – Waste Solutions: Preventing illegal waste disposal in canals – an essential feature of the city’s irrigation system – by placing sensors to monitor and identify the exact location where infractions occur.
10. Guadalajara, México – Transparency / Government Efficiency: Tackling corruption by streamlining the legal requirements for construction projects through a new geo-referenced app that publicly maps business names, plans, licenses and payments, speeding processing times and increasing transparency.
11. Kingston, Jamaica – Youth Unemployment / Workforce Development: Tackling entrenched youth unemployment through a mobile digital platform that encourages young people to explore, create, and access career opportunities in a variety of industries, especially Jamaica’s cultural and music industry, based on their strengths and interests.
12. Medellín, Colombia – Public Safety / Financial Empowerment: Reducing demand for illegal loans that finance organized crime by creating neighborhood lending collectives that offer low-interest commercial loans and connections to employment.
13. Milagro, Ecuador – Environmental Sustainability: Encouraging emergency preparedness for children through the creation of a network chaired and formed by students that promotes better preparation for adverse weather and natural disasters.
14. Pudahuel, Chile – Education: Pairing older residents wishing to volunteer with the children of working families in need of after-school child care, limiting social isolation for seniors and providing a vital service for families.
15. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Public Health: Improving children’s healthcare standards and outcomes by removing silos and integrating data across agencies to improve the health and wellbeing of children ages zero to six.
16. Santiago (Commune), Chile – Public Health: Through citywide challenges, encourage neighborhood groups to work together to reduce childhood obesity; communities earn points they can use to fund local recreational and civic infrastructure.
17. São Paulo, Brazil – Economic Development: Creating an online exchange that connects growing local demand for locally produced farm products from restaurants, markets, and schools to struggling local farmers on the outskirts of the city, addressing a market failure.
18. Tlalnepantla de Baz, México – Social Cohesion: Publishing and promoting a municipal catalog of good deeds, an effort to address widespread civic apathy by engaging citizens in acts like helping the elderly and improving the local environment.
19. Tuxtla Gutiérrez, México – Anti-Corruption: Fighting corruption and improving efficiency by streamlining service delivery for public facing transactions and allowing users to monitor the activity of civil servants through a new mobile app.
20. Valdivia, Chile – Entrepreneurship: Directing promising academic research toward practical problems and helping the local economy by testing bright ideas from local universities in real-world markets with a new mobile lab.

“This year’s finalists are using innovation to address the concrete, clear, and urgent needs of citizens – with noteworthy emphasis on vulnerable populations,” said James Anderson, the head of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Government Innovation Programs. “There is so much cities around the globe can learn from the way these finalists are engaging citizens and data to meet pressing needs,” said James Anderson, the head of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Government Innovation program.

To learn more about the Mayors Challenge, visit www.mayorschallenge.bloomberg.org and @BloombergCities on Twitter and Instagram.

About Bloomberg Philanthropies

Bloomberg Philanthropies works in more than 120 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s charitable activities, including his foundation and his personal giving. In 2015, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed over half a billion dollars.  For more information, please visit bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter @BloombergDotOrg.

Media Contact
Bloomberg Philanthropies, Rebecca Carriero, (212) 205-0182 | rebeccac@bloomberg.org

Executives of Hard Beat Communications have rebranded their CaribWorldNews wire to fit the company’s new goal of covering a larger demographic and capturing the emerging interest in the Americas, especially Latin America.

NewAmericasNow.com will replace CaribWorldNews.com, though readers will still be able to access the site through domains: CaribWorldNews.com, CaribbeanworldNews.com and Hardbeatnews.com.

The company’s new aim is to focus more on the top news, entertainment, business, sports and lifestyle and cuisine of the Americas and the content will be syndicated across over 50 sites and via EBSCO publishing.

The brand new website featuring web 3.0 technology will also allow for live feedback from readers who can view a live weather forecast, translate stories to suit their language need, listen to a Caribbean audio newscast right on the site and check out the preview of the latest bold move by HBC executives – a Caribbean entertainment newscast that will be presented weekly by a swimwear-clad anchor.

The video cast pioneers a new look and feel in the presentation of Caribbean news that is targeted specifically to the news service’s growing Internet followers globally.

Known for their spirit of innovation and originality, HBC CEO Felicia Persaud says 2011 is all about upping the ante – expanding into the Americas while still keeping the sexiness of the beach and the Caribbean’s beauties – with the video news of Caribbean-born celebrities.

The V-cast is being produced in collaboration with Mark Wright of Flatbush TV and will feature both male and female hosts. Wardrobe will be provided by popular Caribbean designers, including Guyana’s own, Roger Gary.

Persaud added that the company will, however, keep its weekly audio news cast focused on the Caribbean, given the BBC’s pull out from the region. The cast is aired across the U.S. on 13 radio stations and podcasted on 32 African-American and Caribbean websites.

For more log on to NewsAmericasNow.com.