Day: January 24, 2023

Hillstone Networks, a leading provider of innovative and accessible cybersecurity solutions, has announced a major upgrade to its operating system, Hillstone StoneOS 5.5R10. The latest upgrade delivers AI-based high performance threat protection, centralized Zero Trust control and management, and further simplification of security operations and system optimization, among over 300 new features. The new functionality enhances the security posture of customer environments and further streamlines security operations with an easy upgrade path.

Threat protection enhancements with AI technology

The new StoneOS leverages AI technology to provide ML-based threat detection for encrypted traffic without the need for decryption. It also features intelligent DDoS protection and DGA detection. In addition, included is a blacklist extension that empowers the Perimeter Traffic Filtering (PTF) function and delivers more protection against threats.

Centralized Zero Trust control and management

Advanced ZTNA implements centralized management for ZTNA policies through Hillstone Security Management (HSM), and supports intelligent connection to ZTNA gateways, single packet authentication (SPA), multiple vendor Operating System support for ZTNA clients, along with a ZTNA portal. The new features provide a better user experience with improved overall operations and management of the ZTNA solution.

Smarter interconnectivity with extended VPN capabilities

The extended VPN features support ECMP and failover for intelligent VPN routing and provide IPSec VPN tunnel establishment options by configuring custom ports and auto-negotiation. These features bring better bandwidth utilization and improve connectivity, ensuring the business remains undisrupted.

Streamlined system operations offload redundant workloads

The latest StoneOS introduces a simplified start-up wizard and automated NAT redundancy check to facilitate system operations, improving overall productivity for organizations by streamlining the workload of system administrators.

Robust system-wide enhancements further ensure business continuity

System availability is improved across the board in the latest release, with support for advanced High Availability (HA) and the graceful restart of Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), further ensuring that business services remain uninterrupted for organizations.

“The transition from the traditional, edge-based security model to the distributed workforce model is a seismic change, triggered primarily by the pandemic-induced work from home mandate, but the impact will evolve gradually, and therefore the solutions we deliver need to address the associated challenges,” states Tim Liu, CTO and co-founder, Hillstone Networks, “The latest iteration of StoneOS continues to address the challenges faced by SecOps teams, and the constant risks faced by enterprises globally. Enhanced AI-driven threat protection, better integration, centralized control and management, and streamlined operations are all critical in delivering a stable and strategic approach to cyber-resilient cybersecurity environments.”

StoneOS is the foundation for all Hillstone next-generation firewalls, which has been recognized in the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Network Firewalls for the 9th consecutive year as a Visionary. StoneOS 5.5R10 is now generally available.

About Hillstone Networks

Hillstone Networks’ innovative and accessible cybersecurity solutions reshape enterprise security, enabling cyber resilience while lowering TCO. By providing comprehensive visibility, superior intelligence, and rapid protection to see, understand, and act against multilayer, multistage cyber threats, Hillstone is favorably rated by leading analysts and trusted by global companies. To learn more visit www.hillstonenet.com.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades has said that the government’s goal was to build a state that meets and serves the needs of citizens, adding that he was satisfied that despite the challenges, he will deliver an economy built on solid foundations and more flexible state apparatus.

Addressing the award ceremony and opening of the exhibition of the 2022 State Architecture Awards, that took place on Monday at the Presidential Palace, the President noted that he is particularly satisfied since, as he said, “despite the multiple challenges we have faced, next month we will deliver an economy built on solid foundations and, through the reforms we have adopted, a modern and more flexible state apparatus ready to respond to any possible crises.”

The government, he pointed out, has taken measures against the crises and the recession and added that as a result of those measures adopted, “a large number of investments was recorded, an increase in both sales and planning and building permits, while high employment rates and a reduction of unemployment were achieved.”

The President noted that an increase of 36% was recorded as regards the number of newly filed sales documents compared to the corresponding period last year and a 26% rise compared to 2019, before the pandemic.

He said that foreign investments in the last four months of 2022 show an increase of 100%, compared to the corresponding period the previous year. As far as unemployment in the construction sector is concerned, the President said that in 2013 it reached 37.1%, while in 2021 it was reduced to 6.2%.

Furthermore, he said that in addition to tax, urban planning and other incentives, additional measures were adopted which also brought about many benefits. He referred i.a. to the new “simplified and flexible” planning permission policy that is based on a modern legislative framework, to the rapid process of licensing of strategic investment projects and the further facilitation of business activities of Cypriots and foreign nationals.

“The most important is that the momentum we have created is strengthened by the perspectives and plans we included in the “Cyprus-Tomorrow” Plan”, the President said, noting that the plan amounts to 4.4 million euro and that through its 58 actions and new reforms “we will create an even more modern, European state.”

Referring to the State Architecture Awards, he said that during the past 30 years, many excellent examples of the work of Cypriot architects have been highlighted “as a result of the strong dynamic that the sector has developed”.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The sale of F-16s to Turkey could only take place if Ankara abandons its aggressive stance towards Greece and Cyprus as well as other actions in the Eastern Mediterranean that are contrary to our national interests and national security, US Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Bob Menendez has said.

In an interview to Mega tv channel in Greece, Menendez said that “what we have seen is a Turkey that is threatening another NATO member country, the Hellenic Republic, and threatening it without justification, without cause,” reiterating his position that he will not move to approve the sale of F-16s to Turkey.

Menendez said that in his mind “it would be problematic to sell military hardware when Turkey takes such actions and when it clearly manifests over and over again some of its intentions.”

At the same time, he assessed that the sale of the F-16s can only be done “if and only if we can have Turkey abandon its belligerent position both to the Hellenic Republic, to Cyprus as well as to other actions in the Eastern Mediterranean which are adverse to our national interests and our national security.”

Referring to the State Department’s approach to call on both Greece and Turkey to tame their words or to find a peaceful way to resolve their differences, the US Senator said that “this is not acceptable when it is one side and only one side that is belligerent.”

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The first two-day International Defence and Security Conference of Cyprus, which began on Monday in Limassol, aims to highlight the defence industry of Cyprus, new trends and technologies, as well as prospects for cooperation among the parties involved.

Defence Minister, Charalambos Petrides, said the conference emphasises that we remain resolute in defending our national interests and maintaining a strong and robust National Guard.

At the same time, he pledged that “the Republic of Cyprus will continue advancing and enlarging its defence partnerships, its bilateral, trilateral and other multilateral defence and military cooperations for acting as a pillar of stability, regional cooperation and prosperity.”

He said the Conference includes, inter alia panel discussions and presentations of collaborative European defence capabilities projects- some of which will be presented for the first time. It comes at a critical juncture with regards international and European security and defence. We live in an era of geopolitical upheaval following Russian invasion to Ukraine.

“We all have to adapt to this new reality and Europe has taken important steps for bolstering European defence capabilities and fostering a more secure and more resilient EU,” the Minister added.

Petrides said “we are witnessing an era of geopolitical upheaval and tectonic shifts in our security environment, we need to invest in strengthening the EU’s defence and military capacities and capabilities, thus reinforcing EU’s long-term security and strategic autonomy.”

He remarked that the EU must be perceived as our main industry option when addressing national capability shortcomings. To that end, looking ahead to the development of a joint EU defence strategic programming and procurement function, we consider critically important that it takes into particular account of the threats and challenges we face on a national level, along with our existing and emerging operational needs.

On a national level, he said he was proud that the Republic of Cyprus is in line and in tune with the global and European trend for investing more in defence, armaments and capabilities.

According to Petrides, Cyprus has significantly increased it defence spending in the last 2 years. At the present, defence expenditure is close to 2% (1.98%) of our GDP. From that percentage, an important chunk goes to armaments procurement as well as into research and innovation.

“We are currently at the highest defence spending over the last 20years. This was not an easy thing to do following the financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic”, he remarked.

Petrides pledged that Cyprus remains “resolute in defending our national interests and maintaining a strong and robust National Guard, willing and able to defend our homeland and be a reliable and credible deterrence force against Turkish aggression and ongoing military occupation”.

We are also an attractive partner for regional defence and military cooperation, the Defence Minister said, “and our network of bilateral defence agreement and cooperation programmes now spans to 17 countries, including key partners such the US, France, UK, Israel, Egypt, India, UAE, Italy, Serbia, Jordan, Slovakia, Germany and of course our closest defence partner Greece”.

The Minister further referred to the signing of an MoU between the Cyprus Association of Research Innovation Enterprises and the Hellenic Aerospace Security and Defense Industries Group which will “foster closer collaboration and interaction between Cyprus and Greece, for harnessing new funding opportunities to the benefit of our national defence and European security”.

The conference was addressed by National Guard commander Democritos Zervakis and the chairman of the House Defence Committee Marinos Sizopoulos. Both expressed their support to initiatives which promote cooperation in new innovative defence and security technologies.

In statements on behalf of the European Defence Organization, Elias Hadjikoumis said that “a Cypriot defence industry would enhance the operational autonomy and readiness of the Armed Forces and certainly the competitiveness and entrepreneurship of the Cypriot economy”.

He also spoke of the need for a Defence Industry Council, under the chairmanship of the Ministry of Defence and the participation of all stakeholders, with the primary mission of developing the Cypriot Defence Strategy.

The conference is organised by C.D Multimedia Services, the Cyprus Association of Research and Innovation Enterprises and the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

On Tuesday from 10.00 (CY time), MEPs will debate a draft version of the PEGA committee’s recommendations, prepared by rapporteur Sophie In ‘t Veld (Renew, NL).

Active since April 2022, the European Parliament’s Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware (PEGA) has commissioned studies, held hearings with experts, and organised three fact-finding visits (to Israel, Poland,Greece and Cyprus), with more to follow.

The committee’s findings will be detailed in its final report and its recommendations (draft). A draft version of the report was discussed on 29 November 2022, and now, MEPs will discuss the recommendations in a similar fashion. You can follow the debate here (livestream and video-on-demand).

In the next stage, all MEPs sitting on the committee can propose amendments to both texts, and the ones that garner majority support will be integrated into the final versions, which the committee will vote on later in the spring. Finally, the committee’s recommendations will be tabled for a European Parliament plenary before 10 June, when the committee’s term comes to an end.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The agreement on establishing the World Health Organization Country Office in Cyprus will be signed on Friday between the Minister of Health, Michalis Hadjipantela, and WHO Regional Director, Dr Hans Kluge.

The Health Ministry said in a statement that, “Cyprus, having an established history of excellence in science and research, implements policies based on a sound scientific basis”. In this context, it adds, the Ministry of Health has carried out a series of consultations with the WHO Regional Office for Europe, with the aim of establishing a Country Office of the Organization in Larnaca, aimed, among other things, at the upgrading of public health, both in Cyprus and in the wider region.

The Ministry notes that the WHO Office will be located exclusively in Cyprus and will cover the countries of the Mediterranean basin and Southeast Europe, while it will employ Cypriot experts, as well as an external expert of the Organization.

The WHO Office in Cyprus will mainly deal with infectious diseases.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The European Commission has announced the launch of the EU Scholarship Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community for the academic year 2023/24, with a budget of €5 million from the Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community.

According to a statement, the programme supports students, professionals and adult learners across the community, in in different areas and levels of education, also providing training and professional development, contributing to the objective of the Aid Programme to bring the Turkish Cypriot community closer to the EU, and to the the overall aim of contributing to the reunification of the island.

The Scholarship Programme is also aimed at contributing to the economic development of the community by developing knowledge, hard and soft skills in different priority areas, from software engineering to sustainable energy technology, that are in demand for skills in the labour market. At the same time, these efforts feed into the EU’s commitment to upskilling and reskilling, contributing to goals of the 2023 European Year of Skills.

In addition to the general call, the programme also includes the Alumni Connect initiative that aims to connect the approximately 2000 Turkish Cypriots that have benefited from the scholarships since 2007.

Applications for the 2023 – 2024 academic year will be accepted until 02 April 2023 at 23:59 Cyprus time through the website www.euburs.eu, and any questions can be forwarded at euscholarships-cyprus@goethe.de. The EU Scholarships Programme is fully funded by the EU and is implemented by the Goethe Institut since 2022.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The National Guard, with the support of the Ministry of Defence, is evolving into a modern, effective, efficient and flexible deterrent force, which is constantly changing and adapting to new technologies and making the most of the resources available from the state, Cyprus’ Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides, said on Tuesday in a press conference at the Presidential Palace.

Petrides said that, in close cooperation with the leadership of the National Guard (NG), his Ministry was working hard for the evolution, modernisation and upgrade of the NG “and in general the safeguarding of our territorial integrity and sovereign rights”.

He thanked the President of the Republic, Nikos Anastasiades, for entrusting him with the Ministry of Defence portfolio and “for his decisive contribution to the great effort to strengthen our deterrent power, both in the armament upgrade and in the strengthening of defence diplomacy”. He also thanked the House Defence Committee and the parliamentary parties for their kind cooperation on all issues.

Responding to a question about strengthening the deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus and to an observation that Greece was receiving today the sixth upgraded F16 fighter jet, the Minister said that “Turkish provocation is here and will continue” and “so, we are also adapting accordingly”.

The Republic of Cyprus, as a semi-occupied country, he said, “must have the corresponding equipment and technology for deterrence” and, to this end, “we are working with various countries within and outside the EU, including the USA’.

Invited to comment on the positions and also the refusal of the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the US Senate, Robert Menendez, to approve the sale of F16 fighter jets to Turkey, Petrides said that he considers Menendez’s position and interventions “very important”, adding that he believes that he will not allow Turkey “as long as there is this revisionism against Greece and Cyprus, to arm itself, since we see that there is no corresponding respect for sovereign rights but of international law and the law of the sea”.

Referring to the six pillars on which the strategy implemented by the Ministry of Defence is based, Petrides said that these are the strengthening of the Defence Cooperation relations of the Republic of Cyprus with other states, the strengthening of the operational capacity of the National Guard, the implementation of innovative and reform actions, the improvement of the legislative and regulatory framework governing the army of the Republic of Cyprus and the National Guard, the efficient management of financial resources and the implementation of environmental and energy policy.

For his part, the Chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Demokritos Zervakis, noting that, the Turkish provocation is known, emphasised that “defence and security are considered as an investment to achieve the goals of the national survival and well-being of our people”. He assured that the NG and the Ministry of Defence continue to work non-stop to increase the level of readiness and combat power of the NG, “implementing the directions of the state for continuous upgrading, evolvement, and modernisation of our military forces and defence capabilities”.

He also noted that, the NG of 2023 is not that of 2020, while “proper planning has been carried out” so that, they can continue to evolve, in the coming years, and continue to be “a reliable instrument” for the implementation of the political and strategic aspirations of the Republic.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Mori Building Co., Ltd., Japan’s leading urban landscape developer, announced today that the 49-story Toranomon Hills Station Tower will open this coming autumn. This project is being led by the Toranomon 1 and 2-chome District Urban Redevelopment Association, in which Mori Building is a leading participant. With the birth of Toranomon Hills Station Tower, which currently is being thoroughly integrated with Toranomon Hills Station, the entire Toranomon Hills area, which has been expanding and evolving at an unprecedented speed toward the realization of a new international hub and global business center, will be completed as a “city” boasting a scale and impact comparable to that of Roppongi Hills.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230123005232/en/

Completion image of Toranomon Hills (Note: please be sure to state the copyright “©The Boundary” when using this image.) (Graphic: Business Wire)

Toranomon Hills Station Tower is a multi-purpose 266-meter high tower with 49 floors above ground and 4 floors underground. By integrating the overall development with Toranomon Hills Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, the tower will be complemented by a large and bustling station plaza and a pedestrian deck measuring 20 meters in width above Sakurada-dori Avenue (National Route 1), offering access to Toranomon Hills Mori Tower Oval Square. By strengthening and expanding the local multilevel transportation network on the ground, underground and the deck-level, the Station Tower will greatly enhance the Toranomon Hills as a transportation node and will enliven the entire area by significantly improving pedestrian flows.

The Station Tower will offer world-class office, as well as retail facilities integrated with the station plaza and a hotel making its debut in Tokyo. The tower‘s top-most level will be home to TOKYO NODE, an interactive communication facility consisting of halls, galleries, pool, restaurants, and other facilities fully capable of creating new values, ideas and business transcending domains, aimed at sharing creativity with the world.

The Toranomon Hills will be expanded to 7.5ha and total floor space of 800,000m2 with the opening of Toranomon Hills Station Tower in autumn, 2023. The area is steadily evolving as a mixed-use complex integrated with urban infrastructures such as road and subway, with an impact comparable to that of Mori Building’s epoch-making Roppongi Hills.

Open and Lively “Station Atrium” Created through Integrated Development of Station and Neighborhood

The Station Atrium (2,000m2) is a three-story atrium-style vaulted space combining coordinated and complementary urban and transportation functions.

The Station Atrium’s direct connections between the station plaza and nearby facilities for events and shopping keep the space bustling with a steady flow of people from morning till night.

20m-wide Large-scale Pedestrian T-Deck above Arterial Road

The 20m-wide large-scale pedestrian T-deck above Sakurada-dori Avenue (National Route 1) and connected to Toranomon Hills Mori Tower’s Oval Square. The elevated walkway, which passes through the Station Tower, is the main route for east-west pedestrian traffic, crossing districts and arterial road. It realizes safe urban spaces by separating pedestrians and vehicles in the area, and will function as a square linking people in Toranomon Hillls.

Interactive Communication Facility Connecting Tokyo with the World: TOKYO NODE

Toranomon Hills Station Tower’s top floors (45th to 49th floors, partly 8th) will be a home to TOKYO NODE, a 10,000m2 interactive communication facility.

Main hall and three galleries can be used individually or integrated as one contiguous venue. On the rooftop, sky garden, pool, and two restaurants curated by world-class chefs will open, including a grill restaurant supervised by Kei Kobayashi, the first Asian chef to earn three Michelin stars in Paris. The laboratory on the 8th floor, will further enhance the facility’s capacity as a highly functional and distinctive space for communication and knowledge-sharing, wholly unlike traditional conference and banquet facilities.

Furthermore, TOKYO NODE will serve as an information dissemination platform of for the entire Toranomon Hills area, allowing Toranomon Hills to evolve into a “communication hub” that attracts highly experienced and influential people from throughout the world for business creation and innovation to share globally.

New Office Space for Connecting People

Responding to Diverse Needs and New Workstyles

Office area located on 9th, 10th, 15-44th floors (total 32 floors), offers a total rental area measuring some 107,000 m2 and standard floors of about 3,400m2, including column-free plans with depths from core to window surface of about 18.5m, accommodate diverse workstyles and other needs of global companies.

In addition, eight “magnet zones” are equipped with atrium spaces and staircases, connecting the upper and lower floors to promote communication and collaboration among workers, and create more dynamic and creative workplaces.

Retail Facilities Support Global Players’ Work and Lives

A retail space measuring about 14,400m2 will occupy nine floors (B2-7th) with some 80 stores that support the work and lives of global players including office workers and residents.

The T-Market (27 shops, approx. 3,000m2) will be full of life from morning till night (7am to 11pm) with restaurants, delis and stores. The restaurants will offer high-quality but reasonably priced menus, many curated by highly acclaimed chefs and pâtissiers, including some with Michelin or Bib Gourmand credentials.

Hotel Toranomon Hills: Tokyo’s First Unbound Collection by Hyatt

The 1st floor and 11th to 14th floors will be home to the Hotel Toranomon Hills with 205 guest rooms including standard rooms measuring about 27m2 to 34m2. The hotel brand is “The Unbound Collection by Hyatt,” which will be making its debut in Tokyo as a part of “Independent Collection.”

It will serve as an “urban living room of Toranomon” welcoming a variety of guests with its restaurant, cafe and lounges open to the city.

All food and beverage experiences in the hotel‘s café and restaurant will be supervised by Sergio Herman,. Herman is a native of the Netherlands and longtime Michelin-starred chef and this will be his first foray into Japan.

World-leading Architects, Designers and Artists

Design: Shohei Shigematsu (OMA)

The Design of Toranomon Hills Station Tower is OMA’s first large-scale architectural project in Tokyo.

Its design is based on ”THE ACTIVITY BAND” concept, or urban axis running from Shintora-dori Avenue to the Akasaka/Toranomon area, creating a symbolic place for people to gather and interact along the axis.

Hotel Design (interior): Space Copenhagen

The hotel interior design is by Space Copenhagen, a Denmark Interior design firm, which will be their first interior design in Japan.

Multiple Global Environmental Certifications Received

Toranomon Hills area received preliminary Platinum certification, the highest rank in the LEED program’s ND category.

Station Tower’s offices and retail facilities have received preliminary Platinum certification in the BD+C:CS category and WELL preliminary certification and are expected to earn top Platinum certification once completed. It is Japan’s second largest precertified property, following the Azabudai Hills.

In addition, Station Tower will be 100% powered by RE100-compliant renewable energy from the time of its completion.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Good afternoon everyone,

Today is a positive step forward for nature protection, with the Commission adopting a new Deal for pollinators.

Pollinators are crucial to reverse the effects of climate change. Without them, our diets and farmers would be poorer.

Yet, their numbers are declining and some species are critically endangered.

Four out of every five flowering plants need pollinators, and we now have numerous pollinator species on the verge of extinction.

Scientists say that one third of all bee, butterfly and hoverfly species are now in steep decline.

This decline is worrying.

Pollinators need stronger protection.

The extinction of pollinators would cause ecosystems to fall apart. It would, quite literally, be the stuff of nightmares.

We have to avoid that scenario, and the New Deal for pollinators adopted today aims at reversing their decline by the year 2030.

Let us take a more detailed look at this new deal for pollinators. First, it sets the headline objective of reversing the decline by 2030, and then identifies three main broad action areas to make that happen.

Most of these actions go in the same direction – they tackle the root causes of pollinators decline.

The first action area is better conservation of species and habitats. We will do that with specific conservation plans for species under threat. We identify pollinators that are typical of habitats protected under the Habitats Directive, and actions to step up that protection.

This will also include a new initiative called buzz lines – a blueprint for a network of ecological corridors for pollinators.

There will also be a new push to enhance pollinator habitats in urban areas.

The second action area is restoring habitats in agricultural landscapes. It’s easy to forget here in Brussels, but a massive percentage of the EU land area is farmland. So, we’re stepping up support in the Common Agricultural Policy for pollinator-friendly farming.

The third action refers to mitigating the impact of pesticide use. We know that pesticide use is a significant factor in pollinator decline, so we need to mitigate the impact of pesticide use.

Part of the solution lies with stronger legal requirements to implement integrated pest management, in line with the Commission proposal for a regulation on Sustainable Use of Pesticides. This proposal, now in codecision, will be the key instrument to reduce the risk and use of pesticides.

We are also strengthening the pesticide authorisation process with additional testing methods, and broadening the scope of species and effects to be assessed.

There are other factors driving pollinator decline. Therefore, this revised initiative refers to additional actions, such as tackling the impacts of climate change, invasive alien species and other threats like light pollution.

Success will depend on three things.

First of all, on coordinating action across sectoral policies.

To take one obvious example, it is vital for agriculture, health and environment policies to work together very closely. Exactly the way we are with the rollout of the biodiversity strategy and Farm to Fork.

Secondly, on establishing a more robust system for monitoring pollinators and enhancing research.

Thirdly, on mobilising and engaging with all actors concerned by the implementation of this new deal for pollinators. Not just policymakers, but scientists, citizens, farmers and businesses.

This Initiative puts a strong emphasis on actions to be carried out by national, regional and local authorities. We will be supporting them very closely, in their efforts to get to grips with the causes of the problem.

Pollinators decline is a complex issue, with no simple solution. We could throw up our arms, walk away, and say we gave it our best shot but it just didn’t work. Or we can acknowledge that reversing pollinators decline trend requires multiple approaches.

The rapid adoption of the Nature Restoration Law would help tremendously by giving the force of law to the 2030 target.

This proposal is now going through codecision, and we call on the Parliament and the Council to maintain that level of ambition, and move swiftly through the process of adoption.

Thank you for your interest in this Initiative.

Source: Cyprus News Agency