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• allnex is the global market and technology leader for Sag Control Agent (SCA) resin, a unique technology enabling excellent appearance of Automotive OEM coatings.
• Today allnex announced to build its first SCA production facility in APAC, the largest global Automotive market.
• This investment will significantly improve regional supply resilience, reduce lead times, and enhance service for our customers based in the APAC region
• And it will support faster adaptation of the next-generation of SCA’s including high-solid, low-bake, and sustainable “green SCA” solutions.

FRANKFURT, GERMANY – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 August 2026 – allnex, a leading global manufacturer and solution provider of coating resins and additives, today announced plans to expand its manufacturing footprint in Asia-Pacific with a strategic investment in Sag Control Agent (SCA) capacity at its Rayong site in Thailand.

Scheduled to begin operations in January 2028, this new SCA capacity investment, signifies allnex’s commitment to support its customers in the world’s fastest-growing automotive coatings markets.

By bringing SCA production into the APAC region, and importantly closer to customers, allnex will strengthen supply reliability, shorten lead times, and provide greater responsiveness to evolving market needs.

SCAs are a unique and cornerstone technology of allnex’s Automotive OEM product portfolio and they define its market leadership position in this application. allnex SCA resins have superior sag control functionality, enabling exceptional appearance in premium high-gloss clearcoats. These specialty resins ensure that coating manufacturers are able to meet the ever increasing demands of car producers for performance, efficiency, and sustainability.

Since allnex invented SCA resins four decades ago, all allnex SCA production was concentrated in its Bergen op Zoom facility in The Netherlands. In the last few years, APAC has become the largest SCA market globally with strong future growth projections driven by increased car production and requirements for better appearance. By making this investment in APAC, allnex will not only provide customers with proximity of supply and greater assurance, it will also ensure to have enough capacity available in time, to meet future growth.

“This strategic capacity investment for a unique technology, is driven by our commitment to our customers and their growth ambitions in Asia-Pacific. By localizing SCA production in Thailand, we are responding directly to customer needs for greater supply security, shorter lead times, and faster access to innovation. The new facility will strengthen our ability and agility to support both global and regional customers in APAC and allows us to meet future market demand.” said Ruben Mannien, Senior Executive Vice President APAC.

The Rayong site was selected following a comprehensive evaluation of multiple locations across the region. The site offers existing infrastructure, strong technical capabilities, and strategic proximity to key automotive manufacturing hubs, including China, India, Korea, and Southeast Asia.

The investment will include dedicated reactors for the production of SCA resins for plastic automotive parts and metal car bodies.

Beyond improving supply resilience, the new facility will support allnex’s latest SCA innovations designed for next-generation clearcoat systems, including high-solid, low-bake, and more sustainable coating technologies. These solutions help customers improve productivity, reduce energy consumption, and differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive market.

Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2027, ensuring production readiness ahead of anticipated market growth.

Hashtag: #allnex

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With 1.93 million tertiary-educated workers in roles below their qualification level, employment alone may no longer be an adequate measure of career progress.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 August 2026 – Malaysia’s labour market has remained resilient, with overall unemployment falling to 2.9% in the first quarter of 2026. However, the figures may conceal a deeper challenge faced by qualified workers who may be employed without meaningfully progressing in their careers. During the same period, 1.93 million tertiary-educated workers, or 35.2%, were employed in semi-skilled or low-skilled roles.

This points to a gap between employment and career progression, particularly whether the workers’ qualifications and experience are helping them move into more skilled, complex and higher-values roles.

“We need to shift the conversation from employability to career mobility. Being employed is not the same as progressing,” said Lim Bee Ing, Centre Director of The University of Manchester South East Asia Centre. “For experienced professionals in Malaysia, progression increasingly requires the ability to lead across functions, make strategic decisions and navigate change. Purposeful postgraduate education can help build those capabilities.”

Evidence across Manchester’s MBA programmes also points to rising cross-field mobility rather than individual employment factors like qualification alone. Its latest MBA employment report found that 59% of the 2024 class changed sector, while 27% changed country, industry and job function.

Experience alone does not guarantee progress

For working professionals, career mobility depends on more than time spent in a role. Both workplace experience and postgraduate education can support progression when they help build broader capabilities, prepare professionals for more complex work and lead to greater responsibility.

Experience builds capability when professionals encounter new problems, assume higher responsibilities and make increasingly complex decisions. Years spent performing largely the same scope of work, however, may not translate into equivalent professional growth.

Similarly, a Master’s can support progression when it is linked to a clear career transition, such as moving from a specialist to a managerial role, changing functions or industries, taking on regional responsibilities, or leading digital and organisational transformation. It is less likely to deliver meaningful results when pursued as a standalone credential or with the expectation of an automatic promotion or salary increase.

“For experienced professionals, the value of an MBA is not simply in acquiring more knowledge, but in seeing their experience through a broader business lens,” said Xavier Duran, Global MBA Programme Director at Alliance Manchester Business School. “That broader perspective can help prepare them for the next stage of their career, whether that means moving into leadership, changing function or industry, or even taking on greater international responsibility.”

Preparing professionals for changing employer needs

Employer expectations are also evolving. Communication, problem-solving and strategic thinking remain important, while organisations increasingly require professionals who can interpret data, understand technology and navigate the impact of artificial intelligence.

As these demands reshape the workplace, an individual can remain technically qualified and continuously employed while becoming less prepared for their next role.

Studying while working can help bridge this gap by allowing professionals to apply new concepts directly to live organisational challenges. It also enables them to examine their experience critically and connect their existing expertise with wider areas such as strategy, finance, people and technology.

The Manchester Global Part-time MBA follows this model through flexible learning, interactive workshops and practical business projects for experienced professionals. Their applicants enter with an average of 12 years of professional experience, including six years in management, underscoring that the programme is designed to build on established careers rather than replace workplace experience.

Postgraduate education is not for salary increase alone

Career progression should be looked at beyond just salary benchmarking. More meaningful indicators include movement into higher-skilled work, broader decision-making responsibility, access to regional or international opportunities and the ability to lead more complex projects.

Malaysia has made progress in helping graduates enter and remain in the workforce. The next priority should be to turn employment into sustained progression, ensuring that talent continues to develop and move into work that makes fuller use of its capabilities.

More information on the MA in Educational Leadership in Practice (ELiP) is available at www.manchester.com.my/ma-educational-leadership-in-practice/.

Hashtag: #UniversityofManchester

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About The University of Manchester & Alliance Manchester Business School

The University of Manchester is ranked 35th in the world by QS World University Rankings 2026, 5th in the UK research powerhouse in REF 2021 and 2nd in THE Impact ranking 2025. With as many as 26 Nobel Prize winners, the University’s academic pedigree is among the best globally.

Alliance Manchester Business School, part of the University of Manchester, is one of the UK’s leading business schools and holds triple accreditation from AMBA, AACSB and EQUIS. The university has a global alumni network and more than 60,000 graduates across 176 countries.

By Ashok Nilakantan Ayers For much of independent India’s history, the security response to communal violence and terrorism was essentially reactive: an attack occurred, intelligence agencies investigated it, police made arrests, and security forces moved in after violence had already begun. Over the past five years, however, India’s counter-terrorism architecture has been moving towards a […]

The article From reaction to prevention: India’s five-year turn against radicalisation appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).

Partnering for better care: Mount Elizabeth Royal Square day surgery centre becomes the first IHH Healthcare facility to join Prudential’s PRUPanel Connect network

SINGAPORE– Media OutReach Newswire – 17 August 2026 – Mount Elizabeth Royal Square, a private day surgery centre, has been added to Prudential Singapore’s (“Prudential”) PRUPanel Connect panel network with effect from 1 August 2026. The empanelment was commemorated at a signing ceremony between Parkway Hospitals Singapore Pte. Ltd. and Prudential.

PRUShield Integrated Shield plan policyholders with eligible PRUExtra riders can now seek treatment at Mount Elizabeth Royal Square where they will have access to participating specialists and enjoy panel benefits.

Mount Elizabeth Royal Square is the first facility under IHH Healthcare Singapore to be included in the PRUPanel Connect network.

Dr Peter Chow, Chief Executive Officer, IHH Healthcare Singapore, said: “We are pleased to partner Prudential to bring Mount Elizabeth Royal Square into the PRUPanel Connect network. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to improving access to quality private healthcare, while giving eligible patients greater assurance and convenience when they require day surgery or endoscopy care.”

Chan San San, Chief Executive Officer, Prudential Singapore, said: “At Prudential, we want to make it easier for customers to navigate their healthcare journey with confidence. By adding Mount Elizabeth Royal Square to PRUPanel Connect, we are strengthening our panel ecosystem and giving PRUShield Extra customers more options for specialist day surgery care, supported by the benefits and assurance of our panel network.”

Opened in 2025, Mount Elizabeth Royal Square is a day surgery and endoscopy centre offering hospital-equivalent safety standards, shorter waiting times, dedicated procedure slots, and a seamless patient experience. The centre also provides bedside ultrasound services, a dedicated patient lounge, and is conveniently located right next to Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.

Through PRUPanel Connect, eligible Prudential customers have access to value-added services when they seek treatment with participating specialists at panel healthcare institutions. These services are available to customers holding eligible PRUExtra policies, including PRUExtra Premier Care, PRUExtra Preferred Care, PRUExtra Premier, PRUExtra Premier CoPay and PRUExtra Preferred CoPay. Customers may enjoy benefits such as cashless admission with an electronic Letter of Guarantee of up to S$15,000, subject to eligibility, as well as keep renewable premiums stable for panel-approved claims.

Notes:

• PRUPanel Connect – PRUPanel Connect | Prudential Singapore
• PRUShield – PRUShield – Health Insurance Plan | Prudential Singapore

Hashtag: #PrudentialSingapore

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About IHH Healthcare Singapore

IHH Healthcare Singapore (IHH SG) is part of IHH Healthcare, a world leader in integrated care with a presence in 10 markets across the world. As Singapore’s largest private healthcare provider, IHH SG operates an integrated network of four multi-award-winning acute hospitals – Gleneagles Hospital, Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital and Parkway East Hospital – where more than 1,800 accredited specialists provide quality multi-disciplinary specialist care.

IHH SG’s network extends beyond acute and tertiary care to primary, specialty care and ancillary services. Its Parkway brand includes the Parkway Shenton network of over 50 clinics island-wide, and iXchange, its managed care and employee benefits arm. Together with Parkway Cancer Centre, Parkway MediCentre, Parkway Radiology, Parkway Laboratories, Parkway Rehab and Parkway Emergency Services, IHH SG’s comprehensive range of services underpins its position as the country’s most trusted healthcare provider, known for providing quality medical care and clinical outcomes in Singapore and around the region.

For more information, visit https://www.ihhhealthcare.com/singapore/.

About Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Ltd (Prudential Singapore)

Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Ltd is one of the top life and health insurance companies in Singapore, serving the financial and protection needs of the country’s citizens for 95 years. As at 31 December 2025, it has S$66.3 billion funds under management. The company has an ‘AA’ Financial Strength Rating from leading credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s and delivers a suite of well-rounded product offerings in Protection, Savings and Investment through multiple distribution channels including a network of 5,400 financial representatives.

For more information, visit https://www.prudential.com.sg

Amaris B. Clinic’s first-half 2026 enquiry figures show arm-related concerns accounted for 41.4% of all body-sculpting enquiries from women, with nearly half of those enquiries coming from women in their 40s. Medical director, Dr Ivan Puah links the trend to perimenopause, slowing metabolism and lifestyle pressures specific to Singapore.

SINGAPORE– Media OutReach Newswire – 17 August 2026 – Arm fat has become the single most common concern driving women to seek body-sculpting consultations in Singapore this year, according to internal enquiry data from Amaris B. Clinic, whose medical director, Dr Ivan Puah, is an MOH-accredited liposuction doctor.

Between January and June 2026, the clinic logged 406 face- and body-sculpting enquiries from women, of which 168 (41.4%) cited arm concerns, more than any other body area. Thirty-one women enquired about more than one area, so individual counts do not sum to the total.

The pattern is one Dr Puah says he sees consistently in practice: Arm fat that resists diet and exercise and that many patients report noticing as they enter their 40s.

Nearly Half of Arm-Concern Enquiries Come From Women in Their 40s

Among women who wrote in specifically about arm concerns, enquiries were heavily concentrated in mid-adulthood, an age range that overlaps with perimenopause for many women:

Full Breakdown

Nearly half of all arm-related enquiries came from women aged 40 to 49, an age range that overlaps with perimenopause for many women.

Why Arm Fat Is Difficult to Shift

Women naturally carry 6 to 11 percentage points more body fat than men, a difference tied to reproductive physiology. Genetics also influence where fat is stored, and some women are predisposed to carrying it in the upper arms, a distribution pattern that responds poorly to exercise alone.

Patients describe the concern in different ways, including upper-arm fat, “bingo wings” or “bat wings” (a combination of loose skin and fat that moves with the arm), and chafing where the arm rubs against the body.

Dr Puah points to two overlapping life stages as the main physiological drivers:

“Perimenopause and menopause are the two life stages we most consistently see linked to arm fat in the clinic. As women approach these stages, metabolism slows, and that shift tends to show up first in areas like the arms and underarms. It’s most noticeable in women with an apple-shaped body distribution,” said Dr Puah.

Hormonal changes associated with ageing, often compounded by stress or poor sleep, can make the body more prone to storing fat and losing lean muscle mass. Skin also loses elasticity with age, which Dr Puah says contributes to the looser, softer contour some patients describe.

Climate, Fashion and Workplace Culture Add Visibility

Singapore’s climate means sleeveless and short-sleeved clothing is worn year-round, keeping arms visible for most of the year. Dr Puah says this, combined with grooming expectations in client-facing and corporate roles, contributes to why arm concerns generate more enquiries in Singapore than they might in cooler markets.

“In Singapore’s climate, women are more conscious of how their arms look in everyday clothing, and arm sculpting is consistently among the most common requests we receive for this concern,” said Dr Puah, who chairs Singapore’s Lipo Peer Review Committee.

Not All Arm Fullness Is the Same, Clinic Says

Dr Puah cautions that upper-arm fullness is not uniform from patient to patient. For some women it is predominantly fat. For others, it is a combination of fat and skin laxity, with genetics, hormonal changes and age all shaping the tissue involved.

“Many women are surprised to learn that arm fat is often genetically predetermined and resistant to exercise. A proper evaluation helps clarify what’s driving the concern and sets realistic expectations for what can be achieved. The rise in enquiries reflects growing awareness that stubborn arm fat is a physiological issue, not a failure of willpower or fitness,” said Dr Puah.

The clinic’s data points to a broader shift: arm concerns are no longer a secondary consideration for patients but a leading driver of body sculpting consultations among women in Singapore, particularly during the perimenopausal transition.

Note on methodology: Figures are drawn from self-reported enquiry records logged by Amaris B. Clinic between 1 January and 30 June 2026 and reflect enquiries at this clinic only; they are not a population-representative survey of Singapore women.
Hashtag: #MedicalAesthetics

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ABOUT AMARIS B. CLINIC

Founded in 2004 and led by Dr Ivan Puah, Amaris B. Clinic is a Singapore-based medical aesthetics and cosmetic surgery practice. Its services span facial and body sculpting, including liposuction, gynecomastia surgery, and fat grafting, alongside non-surgical treatments such as Ultherapy Prime, biostimulator injections, and hair loss therapy.

Amaris B. Clinic’s Signature Treatments

• Liposuction
• Lipedema Surgery
• Vaser Liposuction
• Gynecomastia Surgery
• Accessory Breast Removal
• Corrective Surgery
• Fat Grafting
• Sports Aesthetics

ABOUT DR IVAN PUAH

Dr Puah, an MOH-accredited liposuction doctor with extensive training in various cosmetic procedures, is committed to providing personalised care with an artful eye and proven medical techniques.

• Dedicated surgical training in gynecomastia surgery in San Francisco
• Chairman of the Lipo Peer Review Committee in Singapore
• Trained in Vaser liposuction (fundamental and hi-definition) in Colorado and Argentina
• Trained in syringe liposculpture, fat grafting, and thread lift from renowned French plastic surgeon, Dr Pierre Francois Fournier
• Appointed trainer by Allergan and Merz for fellow doctors on cosmetic injectables
• Designated trainer for PDO thread lift and Picolaser from Venusys Medical
• Graduate Diploma in Family Dermatology from NUS
• Graduate Diploma in Acupuncture from TCMB
• Graduate Diploma in Sports Medicine from LKCMedicine, NTU

Trump instructed Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to scale down the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises just hours before the drills were due to begin on Monday. The 11-day exercise, involving about 18,000 South Korean troops, nevertheless started as scheduled as military planners awaited details of how Washington intended to implement the presidential directive.

The decision marks a significant change in the handling of one of Washington’s most important security alliances in Asia. Trump described the exercises as costly and said they sent an unnecessarily hostile signal to North Korea, while stressing that he maintained a “very good relationship” with Kim.

Trump also connected the decision to wider tensions with Seoul over Iran. He said he had asked South Korea to join US efforts aimed at the “denuclearisation” of Iran but had received a negative response. His comments indicate that cooperation on security commitments in one region is increasingly being assessed alongside Washington’s expectations of allies in unrelated theatres.

Ulchi Freedom Shield is one of the two principal annual exercises conducted by US and South Korean forces. The drills combine computer simulations, command-post exercises and field training intended to test the allies’ ability to respond to threats from North Korea. Planned activities include precision targeting, manoeuvres, equipment deployment and exercises involving forces from several military services.

About 28,500 US military personnel are stationed in South Korea, where the American presence remains central to the deterrence strategy established after the 1950-53 Korean War. The conflict ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically at war.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has simultaneously been pursuing a reduction in tensions with Pyongyang. A day before Trump announced the exercise cutback, Lee called for renewed dialogue with North Korea and proposed efforts to replace the armistice with a permanent peace arrangement. His government has sought engagement while maintaining the alliance with Washington and strengthening South Korea’s military capabilities.

The exercise opened against an increasingly complex regional security environment. North Korea resumed ballistic missile testing days before the drills, while its expanding military partnership with Russia has raised concern among US and South Korean defence officials. North Korean troops deployed in support of Russia’s war in Ukraine have gained combat experience involving drones, electronic warfare and modern battlefield tactics that could strengthen Pyongyang’s forces.

North Korea has long condemned large US-South Korean exercises as rehearsals for invasion. Washington and Seoul reject that characterisation and describe the training as defensive. The exercises have nevertheless repeatedly become a bargaining tool during periods of diplomacy with Pyongyang.

Trump followed a similar approach during his first presidency. After meeting Kim in Singapore in 2018, he unexpectedly announced the suspension of major military exercises, calling them expensive and provocative. Several large drills were later replaced with smaller or modified exercises as Washington sought to keep nuclear negotiations alive.

Those talks ultimately failed to produce an agreement. Trump and Kim met three times between 2018 and 2019, but negotiations stalled over differences concerning sanctions relief and the scope of North Korea’s nuclear disarmament. Trump has continued to express interest in renewing personal diplomacy since returning to the White House.

Kim has also left open a narrow possibility of renewed talks, while rejecting Washington’s longstanding demand for North Korea’s denuclearisation. Pyongyang has accelerated development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles and strengthened its strategic relationship with Moscow.

The reduction order has revived debate in Washington over military readiness. Critics argue that reducing combined exercises could weaken interoperability between US and South Korean forces at a time when North Korea’s military capabilities are becoming more sophisticated. Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat and former US Navy pilot, described hollowing out the exercises as a mistake and warned against weakening preparedness.

Arjavi Indraneesh China’s carefully constructed Gulf strategy is facing one of its toughest tests as Iran’s confrontation with the United States disrupts energy flows, threatens Arab partners and exposes the limits of Beijing’s influence over Tehran. The immediate pressure point is the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping traffic remains sharply below normal levels after months […]

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