News – Media Express24

7, Nov 2026

IBM Unveils Its Most Advanced Quantum Computer in Chicago, Marking a Milestone for Illinois’s Quantum Future

Hosted by the University of Chicago, IBM Quantum System Two is now operational at Hyde Park Labs and will be a prominent fixture of Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) upon the site’s completion.

IBM’s first quantum computer in Illinois extends the company’s industry and academic partnerships across the state, enabling the Illinois ecosystem and beyond to scale quantum algorithms and applications.

CHICAGO, Nov. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — IBM (NYSE: IBM), the University of Chicago, the State of Illinois, and Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) today unveiled an IBM Quantum System Two in Chicago, IBM’s first quantum computer in Illinois and the company’s most advanced system available. Initially located at Hyde Park Labs and hosted by the University of Chicago, the system is fueled by IBM Quantum Nighthawk, the most powerful quantum chip IBM has ever built.

Photo of first IBM Quantum System Two in Illinois, now online and located at the University of Chicago’s Hyde Park Labs. (Credit: IBM)

Today, organizations across Illinois are already working with IBM to explore how quantum computing can scale to computationally difficult challenges. The new system aims to catalyze the state’s robust ecosystem of scientists, universities, national laboratories, startups, and enterprises, many of whom are collaborating with IBM in Chicago within IQMP’s National Quantum Algorithm Center (NQAC) to develop the next generation of algorithms and applications. As the anchor system of NQAC, which was established in 2024 by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker with IBM as a leading member, the new quantum computer will ultimately be moved to IQMP, a first-of-its-kind campus in Chicago currently being built to develop and scale quantum technology and microelectronics innovation.

“IBM is proud to deploy our first quantum computer of IQMP — an IBM Quantum System Two. Today, it can deliver scientifically useful results to organizations across the state of Illinois and beyond,” said Arvind Krishna, Chairman and CEO, IBM. “As IBM’s first quantum computer in Illinois, the system’s deployment marks a milestone for Illinois’ quantum community and builds on IBM’s partnerships across the state as we expand quantum research across academia and industries.”

“I want the next generation of breakthroughs to happen in Illinois and the jobs and opportunity that come with them to benefit the people of Illinois,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “With the unveiling of IBM’s Quantum System Two in Hyde Park, we are giving researchers and businesses the tool to turn big ideas into real-world solutions. With our growing partnership with IBM, we are building an industry that will give Illinoisans more career opportunities and build a future right here at home.”

“The presence of IBM’s first quantum computer in Illinois, the company’s most advanced system available, is a testament to what’s possible when partners across government, industry and academia work together toward a shared vision,” said Harley Johnson, CEO of the IQMP. “Today reflects the unique strength of Illinois’ quantum ecosystem. We’re thrilled to see IBM Quantum System Two at Hyde Park Labs while the Park is under construction, and we’re more energized than ever to welcome it to the IQMP, where it will anchor the National Quantum Algorithm Center and further establish Illinois as the global destination for quantum innovation.”

“The deployment of IBM’s Quantum System Two represents the culmination of a years-long partnership that brought together academia, government, and private industry to usher in a new generation of discovery. I am delighted that this machine is being unveiled here in Hyde Park, where our neighbors and community will have a view into the future,” said University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos.

“IBM Quantum System Two brings another critical capability to Illinois’ growing quantum ecosystem and showcases the collaboration that makes our state such a draw,” said Illinois Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Christy George. “For companies developing quantum technologies and applications, access to advanced computing systems, leading researchers, and industry partners in one place is a powerful advantage. This investment strengthens Illinois’ position as a destination for companies looking to innovate, grow, and help shape the future of quantum computing.”

This new IBM Quantum System Two advances IBM’s mission to bring useful quantum computing to the world and extends the company’s commitment to advancing Illinois as a global epicenter for quantum innovation.

Since NQAC’s founding, IBM has helped grow the center into a hub within Chicago where industry leaders work side-by-side with IBM researchers to build quantum applications that can scale alongside technical progress in the field. This includes NQAC Grand Challenge participants Deloitte and AbbVie, who are working with IBM and Northwestern University to build quantum molecular simulation approaches for researchers engaging in drug discovery.

Other Grand Challenges participants working with IBM include EPRI and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U. of I.) to explore how quantum optimization algorithms could lead to more efficient power grids.

Additionally, research institutions and national labs such as Fermilab are working with IBM in Illinois to accelerate high-energy physics research with quantum and advance technologies for distributed quantum computing.

IBM is also teaming with leading universities such as the University of Chicago and U. of I. to push technological progress in quantum computing. For example, IBM and the University of Chicago recently demonstrated quantum advantage over leading classical methods using an approach with guaranteed correctness.

Now, IBM’s quantum computing technology is being brought physically into Chicago. Through NQAC, the new quantum computer will empower Illinois’ quantum community to develop new algorithms and applications that will translate to real-world impact. And it will serve as a catalyst for developing Illinois’ current and future quantum workforce. Earlier this year, IBM announced it would establish the FutureNow Chicago center at the IQMP in partnership with City Colleges of Chicago, to bring 750 jobs to the region across AI, cybersecurity, data science, quantum computing and other technologies.

With the arrival of IBM Quantum System Two, Chicago and the State of Illinois will be cemented as a leading destination for quantum innovation, industrialization, and workforce development.

Supporting Quotes

“IBM’s continued partnership and the unveiling of IBM Quantum System Two mark an exciting moment for the industry and our state’s quantum ecosystem,” said Brad Henderson, CEO of P33. “Deepening collaboration between industry, our universities, national labs, and state government is what sets us apart and further cements Illinois as a global leader in quantum technology.”

“We are proud to contribute the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s expertise and decades of leadership in supercomputing alongside our higher education and corporate partners,” said Illinois Chancellor Charles L. Isbell, Jr. “As a public-serving university, Illinois’ mission is to advance education, research, and economic opportunity across the state, and we’re excited to engage in work that translates the brilliance of Illinois faculty into tangible, real-world impact that affirms the state of Illinois and Chicago as the epicenter of the next generation of technological progress.”

“This is a significant milestone in advancing Illinois’ quantum economy and turning our state’s world-class research capabilities into real-world economic opportunity,” said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Kristin Richards. “Through the State’s leadership and strategic investments in quantum, we are building an ecosystem for long-term industry growth, new business investment, and high-quality jobs.”

About IBM

IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider, helping clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of governments and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

For more information, visit https://research.ibm.com.

Media contacts:

Brittany Forgione

IBM

Brittany.forgione@ibm.com

Erin Angelini

IBM

Edlehr@us.ibm.com

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7, Nov 2026

IIHM and Andhra Pradesh Join Hands to Build Hospitality Skills and Promote the State’s Culinary Heritage

A three-year strategic partnership signed at the 31st CII Partnership Summit will connect hospitality education with Andhra Pradesh’s culinary traditions, tourism priorities and sustainable destination development.

KOLKATA, India, Nov. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — What makes a destination memorable? It is often more than its landscapes or monuments. It is the food, the flavours, the traditions and the warmth of the people who welcome visitors. Recognising the importance of these experiences to tourism, the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), part of the Indismart Group, has entered into a three-year Strategic Partnership Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, through the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority.

The agreement was signed on 26 October 2026 in Tirupati during the 31st CII Partnership Summit 2026. It establishes a framework for collaboration across four key areas: hospitality education and skills development, promotion of Andhra Pradesh’s culinary heritage, destination development and sustainable tourism, and stronger industry–academia linkages.

A central focus of the partnership is to bring professional hospitality training closer to the needs of the industry. Proposed programmes will cover food production, culinary arts, bakery and patisserie, food and beverage service, front office, housekeeping, hotel operations and tourism operations. Specialised training will also address food safety, hygiene, kitchen management, menu planning, costing, sustainable food production and waste minimisation.

The collaboration will combine practical training, workshops and certification-oriented programmes with opportunities for industry exposure. Internships, educational visits, culinary competitions, placement linkages and entrepreneurship opportunities may also be explored, subject to mutually agreed arrangements between the parties.

An important dimension of the MoU is the promotion of Andhra Pradesh’s distinctive culinary heritage. Through chef masterclasses, culinary demonstrations, regional cuisine workshops and train-the-trainer programmes, the collaboration will seek to bring greater attention to indigenous ingredients, traditional cooking practices and regional food cultures. Culinary tourism will be another area of focus, recognising food as an important expression of a destination’s identity.

The partnership will also explore sustainable hospitality practices, responsible tourism, local sourcing and farm-to-fork concepts, alongside the application of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), in hospitality education and tourism operations. IIHM will contribute its faculty, chefs and industry experts, along with its experience in technology-enabled learning, sustainability and food-waste reduction.

The agreement provides for collaboration across Andhra Pradesh, with priority destinations to be identified jointly by IIHM and the state government. A joint coordination committee, comprising designated nodal officers, will oversee implementation through quarterly or mutually agreed review meetings and an annual assessment of activities and outcomes. The first three months will focus on developing a joint action plan, followed by pilot training programmes, workshops and stakeholder mapping during months three to six. Expansion across identified destinations is envisaged between months six and twelve.

Speaking on the partnership, Dr Suborno Bose, Founder & Chairman of the Indismart Group and IIHM Worldwide said:

“Hospitality education must be connected to the places and communities it serves. Andhra Pradesh has a remarkable culinary identity, with traditions, ingredients and food practices that deserve to be preserved and shared with the world. Through this partnership, we want to bring education, professional skills and industry knowledge together, while recognising that the true strength of tourism lies in its people, its culture and the experiences it creates. Preparing the next generation of hospitality professionals must go hand in hand with preserving the heritage that makes every destination unique.”

The signing was attended by Sri Shamsher Singh Rawat, IAS, Special Chief Secretary, Youth Advancement, Tourism & Culture, Government of Andhra Pradesh; Sri Sagili Shan Mohan, IAS, Chief Executive Officer, Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board; Sri Chiranjeev Choudhary, IFS, Senior Indian Forest Service Officer; and Sri Ravindra Sannareddy, Founder & Managing Director, Sri City Pvt Limited.

The MoU is initially valid for three years from the date of signing. Each party will bear the costs of the activities it undertakes under the agreement.

For IIHM, the partnership is an opportunity to bring its hospitality education expertise into closer engagement with the culinary traditions and tourism priorities of Andhra Pradesh. It also recognises an important principle: the future of hospitality depends not only on how well professionals are trained, but also on how deeply they understand the culture, communities and heritage of the destinations they represent.

Website: www.iihm.ac.in

IIHM Logo

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7, Nov 2026

WALOVI X-Hero Debuts at Inaugural Fortune Southeast Asia 500 Summit, Vietnam Emerges as a Growth Engine for Southeast Asia

GUANGZHOU, China, Nov. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The inaugural Fortune Southeast Asia 500 Summit was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on November 3. The summit brought together regional business leaders and multinational executives. During the event, WALOVI unveiled its X-Hero energy electrolyte drink, alongside the inauguration of Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited (GPHL)’s Vietnam representative office.

Featuring natural plant-based ingredients, such as ginseng and coffee beans, WALOVI X-Hero combines these botanicals with electrolytes to support energy and electrolyte replenishment. It responds to young consumers’ growing demand for natural ingredients and convenient replenishment.

Ye Jizeng, the Vice President of WALOVI Beverages Group Co., Ltd., said the global beverage industry is undergoing a fundamental shift, with natural plant-based beverages moving from a niche option toward mainstream consumption. In response, WALOVI is pursuing two major transitions: evolving from a single-product company into a full-category business, and from a domestic brand into a global one.

WALOVI has been expanding its presence across Southeast Asia. In Malaysia, it partnered with Baosteel Can Making Malaysia in May 2025 to advance localized production. In Singapore, its international headquarters was launched in August 2026 to coordinate regional strategy and global resources. In Indonesia, WALOVI held its global investment promotion conference in Jakarta this year, unveiled its classic and international can ranges, and signed agreements with local distributors.

Vietnam is a key example of localized development. Following the debut of the WALOVI Vietnam Can in May 2026, X-Hero was unveiled at the Fortune Southeast Asia 500 Summit in November. The country’s hot climate, spicy cuisine and familiarity with herbal ingredients create favorable conditions for functional beverages. Since accelerating its development in Vietnam in 2021, WALOVI has achieved rapid growth, making Vietnam its largest and fastest-growing market in Southeast Asia.

WALOVI sees Southeast Asia as a diverse region of countries with different languages and stages of development, where no single approach can fit every market.

As the global beverage industry evolves, WALOVI will continue to connect diverse markets through product innovation and open collaboration, to bring its natural plant-based beverages to a wider international audience.

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7, Nov 2026

ICFAI Business School Begins Admissions for IBSAT 2026; First Registration Deadline Set for December 1

HYDERABAD, India, Nov. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ICFAI Business School (IBS) has opened applications for the ICFAI Business School Aptitude Test (IBSAT 2026), the entrance exam for its two-year, full-time MBA and PGPM programs across nine campuses nationwide. Candidates can apply for admission to IBS campuses in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Dehradun, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.

IBSAT Exam

The registration deadline for the initial exam phase is December 1, 2026, with testing scheduled to begin on December 5 and 6.

To accommodate applicants, IBS is offering a multi-stage exam format held across four weekend cycles throughout December. The remote-proctored exam allows candidates to take the test from home during two daily time slots: 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Results for each weekend cycle will be published on the following Monday.

IBS is also continuing its Rs10 crore merit scholarship scheme for the upcoming academic year. A Rs 2 lakh scholarship will be awarded to 500 top-performing candidates based on their scores in IBSAT or other recognized national entrance exams.

The IBSAT 2026 is a 140-minute, remote online test consisting of 140 multiple-choice questions across four sections: Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, and Data Interpretation. There is no negative marking. In addition to IBSAT, IBS accepts scores from CAT, XAT, NMAT by GMAC, and GMAT, and a single application form covers all nine campuses. Since the test is remote-proctored, candidates can take it from home without traveling to a test center.

Shortlisted applicants will proceed to the final selection process in February 2027, which features micro-presentations and personal interviews. Candidates can read experiences shared by previous applicants from the 2026 selection process here.

For over 30 years, IBS institutions have consistently delivered a placement rate of more than 90%, enabling alumni to secure strong roles in the corporate world. Today, the network includes nearly 79,000 alumni, with 40% holding senior management positions and 10% working in international roles. Explore the 2026 placement success stories here.

Online registration is open at ibsat.org. Physical application forms are also available at IBS Information Offices.

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7, Nov 2026

ExpertCrowd and HUD Collaborate to Advance AI Training and Evaluation, Release SWE Benchmark

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ExpertCrowd, Toptal‘s platform for training and improving AI models and systems, today announced a collaboration with HUD, a Y Combinator-backed startup that provides tools for building AI training data through its DataVendor™ marketplace. Together, the teams released ExpertCrowd-SWE, a software engineering benchmark that evaluates the performance of frontier-grade LLMs and coding agents.

As AI systems take on increasingly complex work, measuring their capabilities requires tasks that reflect professional practice and grading criteria that capture what successful execution actually means. This collaboration brings together ExpertCrowd’s expert-led task development and HUD’s infrastructure for running complex RL environments.

ExpertCrowd and HUD co-developed ExpertCrowd-SWE, bringing together engineers from Toptal’s global network of highly skilled domain experts with HUD’s experience collaborating with frontier research teams. After Toptal’s experts authored tasks and grading rubrics, HUD’s infrastructure hosted task-run environments and verified the benchmarks against internal quality assurance pipelines. HUD and Toptal’s AI research teams, composed of more than a dozen PhDs and researchers with educational or professional experience at Harvard, EPFL, the University of Liège, DeepMind, Qwen, and ByteDance, reviewed and assessed the methodology and results to build one of the most robust software engineering benchmarks in the industry.

“ExpertCrowd puts practitioners at the center of defining the work AI systems should perform and judging how well they perform it. By combining that specialized expertise with HUD’s testing infrastructure, we’re advancing what AI systems can achieve and setting a higher standard for real-world performance,” said Taso Du Val, founder and CEO of Toptal.

ExpertCrowd-SWE is the first release of an ongoing Toptal-HUD collaboration, with additional initiatives in development and further announcements coming soon. Building on this foundation, ExpertCrowd and HUD will bring more specialized human expertise into the tasks, environments, and evaluations that support the next generation of AI.

“We built HUD’s infrastructure to give research teams the tools to create realistic RL training environments, run evaluations across AI models, and inspect model performance. ExpertCrowd put that infrastructure to work, bringing the professional expertise to translate complex, real-world workflows into rigorous tasks, reference outputs, and evaluation frameworks that test the limits of today’s leading AI models,” said Jay Ram, founder and CEO of HUD.

About ExpertCrowd

ExpertCrowd is Toptal’s platform for training and improving AI models and systems through RLHF, RL data generation, data labeling, and model evaluation. It is powered by Toptal’s global talent network, with more than 30,000 specialized domain experts across 140+ countries, including more than 2,000 AI and big data specialists, 12,000 professionals with advanced degrees, and 1,000 PhD-level AI specialists, available on demand. For more information, please visit ExpertCrowd.com.

About HUD

HUD is a platform for building reinforcement learning environments, used by startups, Fortune 500 companies, and frontier labs. It provides infrastructure for training models, evaluating AI agents, and creating the post-training data that aligns AI to organizations’ work. HUD’s mission is to build reliable, fair, and open infrastructure for AI data with the goal of making data valuable for the people who create it and trustworthy for the labs that train on it. DataVendor™ is HUD’s marketplace, which allows AI labs to license training and evaluation data directly from the companies that created it. For more information, please visit HUD.ai.

Contact

Luiz Baia

SVP of Marketing Strategy

luiz.baia@toptal.com

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7, Nov 2026

ExpertCrowd and HUD Collaborate to Advance AI Training and Evaluation, Release SWE Benchmark

About ExpertCrowd

About HUD

Contact

Luiz Baia

SVP of Marketing Strategy

luiz.baia@toptal.com

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6, Nov 2026

Algolia Powers Orange with AI Agents for Billing Support: NYSE Content Update

NYSE issues a pre-market daily advisory direct from the trading floor.

NEW YORK, Nov. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) provides a daily pre-market update directly from the NYSE Trading Floor. Access today’s NYSE Pre-market update for market insights before trading begins.

Ashley Mastronardi delivers the pre-market update on November 6th

Algolia announced it’s providing AI solutions for Orange Group.
- Orange Group is introducing AI agents into billing and account support across its B2B and B2C operations in more than 26 countries.
- Orange will deploy Algolia’s Agent Studio to put AI agents into regulated customer support conversations.
- Algolia CEO Stephen Lynch will join NYSE Live to explain why governance makes this all possible.
Exceptional Capital released the third edition of the Exceptional 100.
- The list highlights engineers, researchers, and product builders across the tech ecosystem.
- Managing Partner Andrew Van Nest will join NYSE Live to discuss how the list helps find the leaders of tomorrow.
American Savings Bank says it’s bringing the ‘Aloha Spirit’ to the NYSE.
- CEO + President Ann Teranishi will discuss her company’s biggest accomplishments since going public earlier this year.
- Shares of ASBH are up double digits since beginning trade in September.

Opening Bell

American Savings Bank (NYSE: ASBH) celebrates its NYSE listing

Closing Bell

The Aspen Institute rings the Closing Bell

For market insights, IPO activity, and today’s opening bell, download the NYSE TV App and check out the NYSE YouTube: TV.NYSE.com and YouTube.com/@NYSEofficial

Acushnet Company at the NYSE Nov. 5

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6, Nov 2026

SILVERSEA MARKS HISTORIC OPENING OF THE CORMORANT AT 55 SOUTH, THE SOUTHERNMOST HOTEL ON EARTH, OFFERING A NEW GATEWAY TO ANTARCTICA

Silversea celebrates the opening of the 150-room hotel in Puerto Williams, Chile, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring performances by local children and artists

MIAMI, Nov. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Silversea, the leading experiential luxury and expedition travel brand, has officially opened The Cormorant at 55 South, a new 150-room hotel in Puerto Williams, Chile, the southernmost city on Earth. Marking a historic moment for the brand and a first-of-its-kind venture for Silversea and Royal Caribbean Group, the hotel opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 5, featuring Silversea executive leadership, Chilean national and regional authorities, and members of the local community. Developed in partnership with a consortium of Chilean investors, the hotel reflects the region it calls home while acting as the new gateway to Silversea’s Antarctica Fly Cruise program. Every guest on the Antarctica Fly Cruise expedition will now arrive in Puerto Williams on a Silversea-branded charter flight and stay at The Cormorant, before continuing their journey to the Last Continent.

Silversea marks historic opening of The Cormorant at 55 South, The Southernmost Hotel on Earth

“Today marks a defining moment for Silversea,” said Bert Hernandez, president, Silversea. “We opened The Cormorant at 55 South to make the journey to Antarctica easier and more comfortable for our guests. Now the expedition begins here, in a hotel designed around Puerto Williams, with the same service our guests expect while on board our ships. Silversea has always been about going further, and this is another example of how we are continuing to invest in the guest experience.”

A FIRST FOR SILVERSEA AT THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE WORLD

The Cormorant carries on the leadership Silversea established in 2008, when it pioneered luxury expedition cruising, from the ship to the shore. Staffed by a team trained through The Silversea Way, Silversea’s service culture, the hotel brings the brand’s personalized service to the first welcome in Puerto Williams, and it was built to the standard guests expect on board. Built using modular construction, each of the 150 rooms were built in Mendoza, Argentina, and transported across the Andes and Patagonia to its place at 55 degrees south.

Its architecture and interiors draw on the landscape, local traditions, and regional materials, and that sense of place extends through the experience. Three large-scale works by Chilean artists bring the landscape, geology, and ecology of the far south into the hotel, while food and beverage begin with the destination itself and are built around local ingredients.

THE START OF THE ANTARCTICA FLY CRUISE JOURNEY

Guests on an Antarctica Fly Cruise expedition fly non-stop from Silversea’s private terminal in Santiago to Puerto Williams on Silversea-branded charter flights and stay at The Cormorant before and after their voyage. Inside, the design moves guests from water and darkness toward warmth, wood, and fire.

Each space is designed to bring the region to life, making the destination the very heart of the experience.

Latitude 55: Rooted in Chilean flavors, regional ingredients, and local culinary traditions – like the asado – The Cormorant’s restaurant, Latitude 55, brings Chilean Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, and Puerto Williams to the table. Menus start with what grows, grazes, and swims in the region, and dinner is served family-style, with large platters at the center of the table.

Bar Sur: The hotel’s social center serves teas and small bites by day and Chilean wines and spirits in the evening, with a wine list that tours Chile from north to south. Calafate, a deep indigo native berry, anchors the cocktails alongside Chilean Pisco, a national spirit, in flavors that are tart, herbal, and warm, with a hint of smoke that echoes the asado fire. Other experiences include a guided Pisco journey led by the Bar Sur team and wine tastings led by the hotel’s sommelier.

Fireplace: Inspired by the regional tradition of fire as a place for hospitality and storytelling, the Fireplace offers plush seating and expansive windows overlooking the Patagonian landscape.

Art and Design: Three large-scale works by Chilean artists anchor the interiors: Navarino, a steel sculpture by Paola Vezzani suspended in the main lobby; Dientes de Navarino, a bar mural by Cata Flaño; and La Memoria de las Piedras, an installation of seventy handcrafted ceramic stones by Javier Canales.

Outdoor Experiences: Guests can kayak the sheltered waters of the Beagle Channel, hike the shoreline trails of Seno Lauta, and explore the landscape on horseback, with plenty of chances to spot cormorants, dolphin gulls, and upland geese along the way.

OPENING DAY: A CEREMONY SHAPED BY PUERTO WILLIAMS

The grand opening of The Cormorant drew on the music, history, and community of Chile’s far south.

Los Chamames de la Patagonia, a folk ensemble founded in Punta Arenas in 2015, performed a Patagonian chamamé with children from the local Grupo Folklorico. The musical tradition has Guaraní roots in northeastern Argentina and traveled south with seasonal workers, shepherds, and families. Local schoolchildren sang the Chilean national anthem, accompanied by young musicians.

The ribbon, featuring natural junco fibers handwoven by local artisans, featured a chain of interconnected circles that symbolize the connections between people, cultures, and territories, and a meeting point between Patagonia, its communities, and travelers from around the world. Specially designed links allowed the hotel’s leaders and Chilean authorities to cut it together while the woven circles remained intact.

STARTING WITH 29 ANTARCTICA FLY CRUISE VOYAGES

The Cormorant represents a long-term investment in how Silversea delivers the Antarctica experience.

Through March 2027, Silver Endeavour, Silver Wind, and Silver Cloud will operate 40 voyages, including 29 Antarctica Fly Cruise voyages, each featuring a stay at The Cormorant at 55 South. The season’s itineraries range from six to 21 nights and extend beyond the Antarctic Peninsula to South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.

For more information on The Cormorant at 55 South and Silversea’s Antarctica Fly Cruise program, visit: https://www.silversea.com/the-cormorant-at-55-south.html

Find additional assets in our digital press kit: https://royalcaribbeangrouppresscenter.com/silversea/dpk/cormorant

About Silversea

Silversea is the leading experiential luxury and expedition travel brand, offering guests immersive experiences on all seven continents, personalized service, and an innovative culinary offering aboard its 12 intimate ocean and expedition ships. Silversea’s itineraries encompass an unparalleled range of destinations worldwide, from the Mediterranean and the Caribbean to the Galápagos, both Polar Regions, and hundreds of fascinating places in between. Set to strengthen its destination leadership starting in 2026, the brand is developing the southernmost hotel on Earth, The Cormorant at 55 South, in Puerto Williams, Chile – offering guests a uniquely seamless journey to Antarctica. Silversea brings its like-minded guests closer to their destination in uncompromised comfort, championing the joy of travel, an enriching spirit of discovery, and an enduring commitment to Silversea’s signature “To Finding More” promise. Silversea is owned and operated by global cruise company Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL). For more information, visit www.silversea.com. Media can stay up to date by visiting the brand’s press center.

Silversea, Otium, S.A.L.T., The Cormorant at 55 South, To Finding More, and the various ship names are registered trademarks of Silversea Cruises LLC.

About Royal Caribbean Group

Royal Caribbean Group is a leading global vacation company spanning cruise, one-of-a-kind destinations, and land-based vacation experiences. The company operates 71 ships sailing to more than 1,000 destinations across all seven continents through its three wholly owned brands – Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea – and a 50% joint venture interest in TUI Cruises, which operates the Mein Schiff and Hapag-Lloyd brands.

The Group is expanding its portfolio of private destinations through its Perfect Day and Royal Beach Club collections, and the company will enter river cruising in 2027 with Celebrity River Cruises. Powered by innovative brands, advanced technology, and an industry-leading loyalty program, the company has built a connected vacation ecosystem, turning the vacation of a lifetime into a lifetime of vacations.

Named to the Fortune World’s Most Admired Companies 2026 list and to Forbes’ 2026 Best American Companies lists, Royal Caribbean Group is guided by its mission to deliver the best vacations responsibly. For more information, visit royalcaribbeangroup.com.

Silversea marks historic opening of The Cormorant at 55 South, The Southernmost Hotel on Earth

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6, Nov 2026

Aon and funds managed by Blackstone launch Cortina, a new Lloyd’s syndicate offering efficient, long-term capital to reinsurance clients

Participating Aon clients benefit from the efficient structure through a client dividend
Operating within Lloyd’s, with QBE as Managing Agent, Cortina is expected to begin underwriting from 1 January 2027

DUBLIN, Nov. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, and funds managed by Blackstone (NYSE: BX), the world’s largest alternative asset manager, today announced the launch of Cortina syndicate 1956, a new Lloyd’s syndicate that will provide dedicated, multi-year reinsurance capacity, broaden the capital available to clients and support the continued growth and resilience of the reinsurance marketplace.

Cortina received Lloyd’s Council’s “in principle” approval on 16 October 2026 and is continuing to work with Lloyd’s to complete the necessary “Making It Happen” actions in advance of granting of permission to underwrite from 1 January 2027.

Cortina’s efficient operating model will bring long-term institutional capital into the market and pass that efficiency on to cedents. Clients will benefit from the economic efficiencies of Cortina’s structure via a dividend based on Cortina’s share of their reinsurance programs. The syndicate will offer following capacity on all eligible treaties, subject to a defined framework, providing clients with a stable source of capacity across renewal cycles. For participating clients, Cortina will write three percent of eligible property catastrophe excess-of-loss treaties and five percent of all other eligible treaties arranged by Aon.

Cortina will complement traditional reinsurers through a conventional “lead/follow” approach. The syndicate follows the terms and claims decisions set by the lead reinsurer(s) on each placement, so that underwriting expertise stays at the center of every program. Cortina provides clients with the financial security of a Lloyd’s syndicate (A+ financial strength rating) and one of the market’s largest and most experienced Managing Agents, QBE, which will be responsible for the syndicate’s underwriting and governance. Cortina intends to begin underwriting from 1 January 2027, subject to final Lloyd’s approval.

“As risks grow in scale and complexity, clients are looking for effective risk transfer solutions that consider all forms of available capital,” said Greg Case, President and CEO, Aon. “Cortina is bringing additional, long-term capital through Blackstone together with QBE’s expertise and the strength of Lloyd’s to expand the market’s capacity to take risk, help close protection gaps and enable greater resilience, investment and growth.”

“The partnership with Aon and QBE will broaden the pools of capital available to the reinsurance market, expanding capacity and strengthening resilience across market cycles,” said Jon Gray, President and Chief Operating Officer, Blackstone. “We remain strong supporters of continued innovation at Lloyd’s and are long-term investors in the sector. This partnership will help meet clients’ evolving needs while supporting the market’s long-term growth.”

“Cortina is a first-of-its-kind model for reinsurance capacity at Lloyd’s,” said Jason Harris, QBE International CEO. “As managing agent, we bring deep, specialist underwriting expertise and our leading Lloyd’s capability to a syndicate that combines long-term institutional capital with stable, disciplined reinsurance capacity. It also gives us the opportunity to further grow our business through an innovative model. For QBE Re, the strategy remains unchanged: a continued focus on building long-term partnerships.”

“Lloyd’s takes pride in being a market of firsts and in being the most capital-efficient marketplace in the world to connect capital to insurance risk,” said Patrick Tiernan, Chief Executive, Lloyd’s. “By structuring this transaction at Lloyd’s, we see the marriage of new long-term capital through our London Bridge 2 framework, with the highest underwriting and oversight standards to create long term value for clients, investors and the marketplace. This is total innovation in action.”

About Aon

Aon plc (NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Through actionable analytic insight, globally integrated Risk Capital and Human Capital expertise, and locally relevant solutions, our colleagues provide clients in over 120 countries with the clarity and confidence to make better risk and people decisions that help protect and grow their businesses.

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About Blackstone

Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. Blackstone seeks to deliver compelling returns for institutional and individual investors by strengthening the companies in which the firm invests. Blackstone’s nearly $1.4 trillion in assets under management include global investment strategies focused on real estate, private equity, credit, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, secondaries and hedge funds. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com.

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About QBE

QBE International is a global risk partner specialising in commercial insurance and reinsurance, helping businesses grow with confidence in an increasingly uncertain risk environment. We bring together a broad product range spanning sectors including marine, energy, aviation, property, casualty, financial lines and portfolio solutions, as well as new economy sectors such as data centers, renewables and cyber. Behind every policy is a team that combines specialist underwriting, claims and risk expertise to serve clients globally.

QBE International is part of QBE Insurance Group, one of the world’s leading international insurers and reinsurers and Standard & Poor’s AA- rated. Listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, QBE’s gross written premium for the year ended 31 December 2025 was US$24.0 billion.

Media Contacts

Aon

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Blackstone

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QBE

Alexis Burris +44 203 465 3921 alexis.burris@qbe.com

Georgie Hall +44 7890 647 808 georgie.hall@qbe.com