Media OutReach
CCOHK premieres Space Fantasy – a musical spectacular on 29 and 30 August 2026 at Tsuen Wan Town Hall Auditorium
30 AUG 2026 (SUN) 3:00pm
Tsuen Wan Town Hall Auditorium
Presented by City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 August 2026 – Space Fantasy – an outer space musical spectacular for all the family – premieres in Hong Kong on 29 and 30 August 2026 at the Tsuen Wan Town Hall Auditorium. This exciting new production is created by award-winning playwright Leanne Nicholls with music by Luna Pan and Miles Brown. The show tells the story of an alien called Fluto who, after intercepting NASA’s Voyager 1, discovers the Voyager Golden Record. He embarks on a journey to planet Earth in search of Bach’s music and meets Astrid, who is preparing a Bach partita for her school competition. Their encounter leads to a fantastical spaceship ride to Europa, the fourth largest moon of Jupiter, where they perform in the Stars of the Cosmos show.
Space Fantasy promises to delight all ages with an exhilarating mix of live orchestral, theremin and electronic music performances, combined with theatre, song, dance, digital art and circus acts. Three performances will take place on Saturday 29 August 2026, 3:00pm and 7:30pm, and on Sunday 30 August 2026, 3:00pm. The show is performed in English and suitable for ages 3 and above. Tickets are priced at $600, $400, $250 and $120 and available at URBTIX. A 50% discount is applicable for full-time students, senior citizens aged 60 and above, Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients and people with disabilities and their accompanying minder.
CCOHK’s previous musical creations, including Bug Symphony and WILD (The Musical), have garnered international recognition at the YAMawards in Portugal (2017) and Belgium (2022), respectively. Space Fantasy marks CCOHK’s first appearance at Tsuen Wan Town Hall Auditorium under the LCSD’s Venue Partnership Scheme. The project is financially supported by the Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme of the Government of the HKSAR.
The Creatives
Space Fantasy is an original work based on a story by Leanne Nicholls with music by Luna Pan and Miles Brown, a leading performer/composer of the theremin. The performance is produced and directed by CCOHK’s Artistic Director Leanne Nicholls with physical theatre direction by Ines Hu from Vienna. The creatives also include Isaac Wong (set design), Billy Chan (lighting design), Twinny Cheng (costume design), Pattuvelil Prasannan Prasyam (digital video design), Kester Lee (sound design) and Margo Lau and Betty Wan (make-up design).
The Cast
Space Fantasy features a stellar cast of actors, singers, musicians, dancers and circus artists from Hong Kong, Japan, Australia and Germany. Ten-year-old Adeline Wong, a triple-threat harpist-singer-actor from Hong Kong, performs the lead role of Astrid. She appears alongside Gabor Vosteen, a world-acclaimed recorder virtuoso and non-verbal comedian-actor-circus artist who is cast as the Alien Fluto. Other cast members include singer/actress Jessica Peralta (as Astrid’s Mother), actor Christopher Price (as Zerk, Host of the Stars of the Cosmos Show), theremin virtuoso Miles Brown (as Jupiter), mirror ball artist Valerie Murzak (as Neptune), singers Janees Wong (as Venus) and CHANKA (as Mercury) and hoop artist Grace Hoop (as Saturn). The cast also includes two exceptional artists from Japan – popping and animation dancer Kazuho Monster (as Earth’s Moon), a true master of the moonwalk and four arm juggler ON (as Uranus).
Theremin Demonstration by Miles Brown
Mon 31 AUG 2026, 7:00pm-9:00pm
Philharmonic Club, 21/F Skyway Centre, 23 Queen’s Road West, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Tickets: $100 per person. Walk-in accepted or register by email: [email protected]
Space Fantasy features the theremin, an electronic instrument invented by the Russian scientist Léon Theremin in 1920. It is the only musical instrument in existence today that is played without physical contact. The player moves his/her hands around two protruding metal antennae. One antenna controls the frequency (or pitch), the other the amplitude (or volume), and both are motion sensitive. To form a musical line, the player moves his/her hands near the antennae and appears to find the notes from mid-air. The theremin’s eerie sound is often heard on movie soundtracks associated with aliens and science fiction themes. Famous examples include It Came from Outer Space (1953), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! (1996). Miles Brown, a leading performer of the theremin, studied with theremin virtuoso Lydia Kavina, a direct relative of Theremin himself. He will give a demonstration on how this intriguing instrument works at the Philharmonic Club in Sheung Wan on 31 August 2026, 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Further Enquiries: 2864 2156.
Luna Pan composer
Luna Pan is an award-winning screen, advertising and game composer based in Sydney, Australia. She holds a Master of Arts in Orchestration for Film, Games and Television from the University of Chichester where leading industry composers mentored her. Her TV and feature films credits include The Block, Ice Road: Vengeance, My Eyes and Bluey. Luna Pan composed the soundtrack for the Sydney New Year’s Eve 2025 Fireworks Light Up Harbour Spectacular. Her orchestral compositions Evolution (recorded by the RTVE Symphony Orchestra) and The Masquerade (recorded by Smecky Music Studios Prague) received nominations at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards in 2021 and 2022 respectively. In 2021 she won the Contemporary Female Composer Award and Best Orchestration Award at the GEMS Film Score Summer Programme in Spain. She is also the recipient of the APRA AMCOS Professional Development Award and was nominated for the Emerging Composer of The Year at the 2024 APRA AMCOS AGSC Screen Music Awards in Australia.
Miles Brown theremin/composer
Miles Brown is an Australian thereminist, composer and producer. Initially self-taught, he received an Australia Council grant to travel to Oxford to study with Lydia Kavina, the world’s leading classical thereminist and grandniece of the instrument’s inventor Leon Theremin. Since 2000 Miles has explored the theremin as a lead instrument in the electronic rock band The Night Terrors, releasing five albums and touring internationally with acts such as Hawkwind, Goblin, Serena-Maneesh, Melt-Banana and Black Mountain. He has released two acclaimed electronic solo albums and collaborates with harpist Mary Doumany as the microtonal experimental duo The Narcoleptor. In 2009 he performed at the “Without Touch” Theremin Festival in Lippstadt, Germany alongside theremin greats Lydia Kavina, Carolina Eyck and Barbara Buchholz. His other festival appearances include the Melbourne and Adelaide Festivals, Laneway, Big Day Out, Bracara Extreme Fest and Denovali Swingfest. Through numerous compositions and collaborations, Miles Brown has pushed the boundaries of the theremin in a wide range of genres including rock, gothic and film music. He has performed in concerts with Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Goblin, Marc Ribot, Black Mountain, Mick Harvey and Alexander Hacke and has recorded with Grace Cummings, Sankt Otten, Antoni Maiovvi, Cat Hope, Jess Ribeiro, Little Birdy and Black Lung. His soundtracks for film include Late Night with the Devil (2023), Nosferatu (2022) and Insomnolence (2016). TV credits include Spooky Files (2024), Art Works (2021), Dogstar (2011) and an advert campaign for Telstra (2025). Miles Brown is currently the Curator of Music at the City of Melbourne and runs the Australian record label Heavy Machinery Records.
Gabor Vosteen recorder/comedian
Gabor Vosteen tours the world as a recorder player and comedian. Following recorder studies at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, he attended the Circus School in Budapest to focus on clowning. Thereafter he undertook studies in physical theatre at the International School of Theatre LASSAAD in Brussels. His performances combining virtuoso recorder playing and visual non-verbal comedy have taken him to 24 countries including tours with Night of the Proms and Circus Roncalli. He has collaborated with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Constance Southwest German Philharmonic Orchestra, Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra, Szolnok Symphony Orchestra, Tyrolean Symphony Orchestra Innsbruck and the Youth Symphony Orchestra Bremen, among others. He has also appeared as a guest artist at the Potsdam Sanssouci Music Festival, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, the International Baroque Festival at Melk Abbey, the Bad Kissingen Recorder Festival, Jazz & the City Salzburg and the Musica Antiqua Festival in Bolzano. Gabor Vosteen is the recipient of numerous international awards including the Audience Prize at Tuttlinger Krähe, the Kleinkunstpreis Herborner Schlumpeweck, First Prize at the Gaukler und Kleinkunstpreis Koblenz and both the Audience Prize and Second Prize at the European Cabaret Competition Niederstätter surPrize in Bozen. Since winning the Best Small Ensemble Award at the YAMAwards in Denmark in 2019, he has enjoyed great success touring his solo programme The Fluteman Show. His credits for the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong include The Fluteman Show in 2022.
Hashtag: #CCOHK
http://www.ccohk.com/The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong
City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK) holds a unique position as one of Asia’s leading chamber orchestras. Founded by oboist Leanne Nicholls in 1999, CCOHK has performed with many of the world’s most distinguished artists including Sir James Galway, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Sir Thomas Allen, Sir Neville Marriner, Michala Petri, Sarah Chang, Julian Lloyd Webber, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Alma Deutscher. CCOHK’s progressive programming has been internationally recognized with tour invitations to festivals in London, L’Aquila, Taipei, Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai. Engagements in Hong Kong include Hong Kong Ballet, French May Arts Festival, RTHK’s Christmas Concerts in the Park and the World Harp Congress. CCOHK’s passion for building young audiences for music has inspired the creation of several newly curated and award-winning productions. Credits include Magnificent Mozart, The Star Bach, The Bonn Man, Haydn & The Prince, Bug Symphony, Shark Symphony and WILD (The Musical) – winner of the Public Choice Award at the YAMawards in Belgium 2022.
In her new role, Ms Medvedeva will lead the company’s expansion across Middle East markets. She will oversee the company’s market-entry strategy and build-out across the region – from establishing local teams and operating models to steering regulatory engagement, forging partnerships with local institutions, and shaping Skyro’s product and go-to-market approach market by market – driving the group’s long-term growth across the GCC in step with the region’s economic-diversification and digital-economy agendas, including Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
Arsen Liametov, Skyro co-founder and CEO, said:
“Since launching in South-East Asia in 2022, Skyro has built a credit portfolio of more than $200 million, while the app has surpassed 7 million users. This momentum, which is moving us towards profitability, shows that our ecosystem business model built around consumer finance has significant potential in other emerging markets. We have begun establishing our operations in Saudi Arabia and intend to offer consumer financing as well as services for SMEs in this growing and attractive market once the necessary regulatory approvals are in place. Maria’s appointment will strengthen our expansion into the Middle East.”
Ms Medvedeva said:
“I am delighted to lead Skyro’s expansion across the Middle East, a region shaping one of the most ambitious visions for the future of finance. My commitment is to build here for the long term: with local teams, trusted partnerships, and genuine respect for the markets we enter. The most enduring businesses are built in a place, not simply imported into it, and I believe Skyro has the team and the discipline to grow responsibly and profitably alongside the region.
“As part of its Saudi expansion, Skyro plans to build out a broader ecosystem of digital financial services spanning both consumers and businesses. We see our role as a complementary partner to the Kingdom’s established financial institutions, expanding access to finance and opening up new opportunities for the country’s broader economic growth while supporting the development of innovative fintech locally.”
Ms Medvedeva is an experienced financial technology executive. She spent more than seven years as a vice president at Mastercard across the MENA region, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, became the first woman to hold a senior country leadership role in Saudi Arabia, and made significant contributions to developing payment technologies for consumers and merchants in support of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
The company has already opened an office in Riyadh and is actively hiring, including developers, ahead of securing the required licence. Skyro is investing in its Saudi operations to support this expansion, drawing on the consumer-financing foundation it has established across South-East Asia while developing services tailored to the Kingdom’s needs. Beyond Saudi Arabia, the company is also evaluating further expansion opportunities across the wider Middle East region.
Hashtag: #Skyro #Vision2030 #Fintech
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Skyro
Skyro is a high-growth, digital-first fintech group delivering scalable, responsible financial access across high-potential emerging markets. Powered by proprietary data science, AI-driven credit decisioning, and alternative-data scoring, the company combines a mobile-native experience with modular fintech architecture to serve underserved client segments at scale.
As of 2026, Skyro has a registered user base of more than 7 million and a credit portfolio exceeding $200 million. The company’s ambition is to become a leading full-spectrum financial services group across high-potential markets by combining capability proven at scale with a commitment to building each business around the needs of the market it serves.
Media OutReach
JETCO Connect 2.0 drives Johor – Singapore collaboration to create new tourism offerings
Tourism businesses and industry partners invited to collaborate with JETCO as Visit Johor 2026 gathers momentum.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 August 2026 – Following the successful launch of JETCO Connect in 2025, Johor Economic, Tourism and Cultural Office Singapore (JETCO) is taking the next step with JETCO Connect 2.0, shifting the focus from introducing Johor’s tourism offerings to fostering cross-border collaboration.
As Visit Johor 2026 invites visitors to discover Johor through its diverse mix of cultural, nature, food and island experiences, JETCO Connect 2.0 focuses on the work behind the scenes – bringing together tourism stakeholders to develop and package these experiences into compelling travel offerings for the Singapore market.
Organised in collaboration with Tourism Johor and Tourism Malaysia, JETCO Connect 2.0 brings this collaboration to life through a series of activities:
- 12–13 August – Familiarisation (FAM) Trip: Around 40 Singapore travel trade representatives, including travel agents, inbound operators, golf specialists and media, will explore Johor’s heritage, culture, eco-tourism, sports and urban attractions through a curated familiarisation programme.
- 13 August – Tourism Product Development Workshop: Around 80 participants from Johor and Singapore will work together to develop tourism packages across themes such as heritage and culture, gastronomy, eco-tourism, sports tourism, golf, halal experiences and island tourism for the Singapore market.
- 19 August – Partner Networking Session: JETCO leaders will reconnect with local operators in Singapore to present the tourism concepts developed during the workshop and discussion plans to bring them to market.
Redefining the Road Trip
One notable project that materialized from past discussions is Elevating Road Trip to Desaru. For years, the pristine beaches of Desaru Coast have beckoned Singaporeans seeking a quick, luxurious escape. The rise of world-class resorts has transformed the area into a premier destination. However, a glaring gap remained in the travel experience: the journey itself often lacked the refinement expected by guests bound for five-star accommodations.
Come 1st September 2026, the SVIP 27-Seater Daily Coach service will be launched. The 27-seater provides spacious seating, is equipped with individual USB charging point and offers strategic departure points from Tampines, Suntec City and Jurong East. From 01 Sep 2026 – 31 Oct 2026, bookings will be at $45/pax ($10 upgrade fee waived). More details can be found in Annex.
As JETCO continues to strengthen tourism links between Johor and Singapore, it welcomes tourism businesses, attractions, hotels, travel operators, industry associations and destination partners interested in exploring future collaborations.
Annex
The new SVIP fleet addresses the common pain points of overland travel, focusing entirely on passenger comfort and convenience.
Key Features of the SVIP Experience:
* Spacious Seating: The 27-seater configuration ensures ample legroom and personal space, a significant upgrade from standard, densely packed coaches. The seats are designed for relaxation, allowing travelers to start unwinding immediately.
* Modern Connectivity: Understanding the needs of the modern traveller, each seat is equipped with dedicated USB charging points. Whether you need to catch up on work, entertain the kids with a movie, or simply keep your devices juiced up for the weekend, power is always within reach.
Accessible Luxury: Strategic Departure Points
To cater to travelers across the island, the daily service operates from three strategically chosen departure points in Singapore:
1. Tampines: Serving the East, providing a convenient starting point for those living near Changi and the eastern heartlands.
2. Suntec City: Located in the heart of the city, offering easy access for urban dwellers and professionals heading straight from the office.
3. Jurong East: Ensuring that guests residing in the western part of Singapore have a hassle-free departure option without needing to cross the island first.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About JETCO
Johor Economic, Tourism & Cultural Office Singapore (JETCO) is a Johor State Government agency responsible for connecting Johor agencies with stakeholders in Singapore.
Established in 2021, JETCO plays a key role in promoting Johor’s economic opportunities, tourism offerings and cultural heritage while fostering partnerships between Johor and Singapore.
Through strategic initiatives and industry engagement, JETCO supports cross-border collaboration in line with key state initiatives such as the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) and Visit Johor 2026.
For more information, visit jetcojohor.com.
Media OutReach
Allianz: Data center boom ushers in a new era of infrastructure risks and opportunities for insurers
Resilience must be central to data center operations
The sector’s biggest constraints are increasingly physical rather than financial. Competitive advantage is increasingly determined by access to electricity, grid connections, permitting, specialized equipment and skilled labor. In the US alone, the construction industry faces a shortage of around 439,000 skilled workers, while an estimated 349,000 additional workers may be needed in 2026. Climate resilience is increasingly a strategic consideration rather than an operational afterthought. Around 79% of global data center capacity is already located in areas exposed to heightened natural catastrophe risk, while 54% is exposed to chronic heat and drought stress. Some of the fastest-growing AI infrastructure markets are also among the most climate-exposed, including Northern Virginia, US, Johor in Malaysia, and Marseille, France. Acute flood, wildfire and wind exposure is highest in the Americas, affecting 86% of capacity, while chronic heat and drought stress is greatest in Asia Pacific, where 89% of capacity is exposed.
Global data center insurance market will more than double by 2030
Insurance is evolving alongside the sector. As data centers assume a more critical role in infrastructure, comprehensive insurance cover has become a prerequisite for financing many large-scale AI infrastructure projects. Construction costs for a single AI campus can exceed US$20bn, with insured values rising substantially once high-performance computing equipment is installed. The global data center insurance market is projected to grow from around US$11bn today to more than US$24bn by 2030, reflecting rapid capacity expansion, rising insured values and increasing operational complexity. Demand is expected to extend beyond traditional property cover towards integrated solutions spanning construction, engineering, property, business interruption, cyber and liability, while also creating new opportunities in areas such as energy resilience, operational continuity, and technology risk.
Risk and claims trends: fire drives severity; water damage frequency
Allianz Commercial analysis of insurance industry data center-related claims shows that fire is the leading driver of loss severity, accounting for well over 50% of around €700mn (US$800mn) worth of losses. Natural catastrophe activity ranks second, followed by willful acts, which include crime and cyber incidents, followed by power failure. Water damage is the most frequent cause of data center claims, followed by willful acts, fire, and equipment breakdown. Business interruption is the primary driver of claims severity by line of insurance, highlighting the significant financial impact of operational downtime.
The data center risk profile is changing as facilities become larger, more complex, and more increasingly interdependent. Hyperscale and colocation of campuses can bring together multiple tenants, construction works, servers, supporting utilities and on-site infrastructure in one physical or operational space. A single event can therefore trigger claims across property, construction, business interruption, liability, cyber, and financial lines. Real-life claims case studies show that in hyperscale facilities, damage to external cooling systems, hot works-related fire damage, and a delay in start-up caused by power disturbances have each resulted in losses in the US$50mn to US$100mn range.
“For insurers, the key question is not only the value of the building, but the concentration of value and dependency inside and around it. Power, cooling, batteries, fiber routes, testing and commissioning, and business continuity planning are all part of the same risk picture. Effective risk mitigation must begin early and continue throughout the data center lifecycle. Resilience must be designed in from the earliest planning stage,” explains Christian Kolbe, Global Head of Construction Claims at Allianz Commercial.
Clarity between policies essential to avoid ambiguity
Data center projects encompass different project phases with several stakeholders and interests involved, which can create complications. During the construction phase, stakeholders include the owner, developer, contractor, and subcontractors, whereas in the operational phase, the stakeholders include the owner-operator, and potentially multiple tenants or end users. For example, different policies could respond to a hot works-related fire resulting in damage to a data center nearing completion, and this would impact different stakeholders.
“Clarity is critical with an insurance claim,” says Charlotte Field, Regional Head of Short-tail Claims, Asia, at Allianz Commercial. “Clearly documented handovers are essential between your construction all-risk policy and operational policy. There must be no ambiguity about practical completion, in order to avoid disputes over which policy responds to a particular event and the extent of cover.”
Hashtag: #AllianzCommercial
https://commercial.allianz.com/
financial strength, and network of the world’s #1 insurance brand, we work together to help our customers prepare for what’s ahead: They trust us in providing a wide range of traditional and alternative risk transfer solutions, outstanding risk consulting and Multinational services as well as seamless claims handling. Allianz Commercial brings together the large corporate insurance business of Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) and the commercial insurance business of national Allianz Property & Casualty entities serving mid-sized companies. We are present in over 200 countries and territories either through our own teams or the Allianz Group network and partners. In 2025, the integrated business of Allianz Commercial generated around €17.3 billion in gross premium globally. https://commercial.allianz.com/
