Month: October 2022

Posted on

Premier presents NT$2.71 trillion 2023 government budget

The central government’s NT$2.71 trillion (US$90.01 billion) general budget plan for fiscal 2023 was presented by Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to lawmakers on Tuesday, with proposed spending on national defense increasing by 12.9 percent from the previous budget to NT$415.1 billion.

 

The national defense budget, planned amid increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait, is aimed at improving Taiwan’s national defense and reserve force, Su said during a Legislative session.

 

That spending, which accounts for 15.3 percent of the total budget, also represents an increase of NT$47.5 billion, or 12.9 percent, from the current year, Su said.

 

With additional special budgets and other funds that can be allocated, the total planned national defense budget for 2023 will rise to NT$586.3 billion, he said.

According to the Cabinet’s budget plan, the greatest chunk of the 2023 budget, NT$715.4 billion or 26.3 percent, will go to social welfare, followed by NT$496.2 billion on education, technology, and culture (18.2 percent), and NT$483.1 billion on economic development (17.8 percent).

 

Also, Su said the government planned to spend NT$31.7 billion on foreign affairs, up 5.5 percent from the current year, as the country seeks stronger relations with diplomatic allies and other countries that share “similar values” with Taiwan.

 

The government expects to see its revenue rise 12.8 percent from the current year to NT$2.55 trillion in 2023, due to an increase in tax revenue and other proceeds, according to Su.

 

The shortfall between proposed spending and projected revenue, which is about NT$162.6 billion, will be made up through several measures including borrowing, Su said.

 

 

 

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Posted on

China Airlines to fly to Da Nang in central Vietnam in January

Taipei-based China Airlines (CAL) announced Tuesday it will be flying a new route between Taoyuan and Da Nang in central Vietnam beginning on Jan. 2, 2023, flying five weekly flights to the destination.

 

CAL, one of Taiwan’s major international carriers, said in a statement it will use the A321neos it recently took delivery of to fly the 3-hour flight between Taoyuan International Airport and Da Nang International Airport every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

 

Da Nang, the fourth-largest city in Vietnam, marks the halfway point between Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south and is a convenient hub for exploring attractions in central Vietnam, including the ancient town of Hoi An, the imperial city of Hue and the Ba Na Hills, the statement said.

 

With the new route, CAL is hoping to boost its presence in Vietnam, where it already serves Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on a daily basis, and the Southeast Asia market, it said.

 

CAL is also seeking to attract more transit travelers flying between Vietnam and the United States, given that the carrier provides nearly 30 weekly flights between Taoyuan and North America.

 

As Taiwan reopens its borders in mid-October by ending strict quarantines for all arrivals, CAL expects to increase its passenger capacity by 50 percent in the fourth quarter by resuming flights or adding new routes to Southeast Asian destinations, it said.

 

Transit passengers are another important target, on routes between North America/Europe and Southeast Asia, Europe and Oceania, and Oceania and Northeast Asia, it said.

 

 

 

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Posted on

EasyCard Corp. introduces ‘SuperCard’

EasyCard Corp. unveiled the latest special edition of its electronic payment card called “SuperCard” on Tuesday, with sales beginning the same day.

 

The SuperCard looks like any other bank or payment card, unlike EasyCard’s other special edition products, such as one in the shape of a mini rice cooker, or a wand from Japanese cartoon series “Sailor Moon.”

 

A total of 40,000 SuperCards are available for NT$150 (US$4.73), and sales began at 11 a.m. through online retailer momo.com, without a deposit or cash value pre-stored, according to the company during a news conference held that day.

 

With an upgraded chip, SuperCard holders can add value to the payment card with their mobile phones, which is currently done through ticketing machines or certain retailers that accept the cards, such as a convenience store.

 

To top up the SuperCard, card holders simply place it on the back of their mobile device with the NFC (near-field communication) feature and use the EasyWallet app to deposit a minimum of NT$100, the company said.

At the news conference, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) hinted EasyCards could be accepted in Okinawan, Japan as early as next month, after Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission approved the company’s partnership with Bank of the Ryukyus in the Japanese prefecture.

 

Ko said with a smartphone and an EasyCard, he rarely uses cash these days.

 

In other news, people using Android phones with the EasyWallet app and the NFC feature will be able to travel on the Taichung’s metro service by tapping their phone to enter and exit stations from Monday, the company said in an earlier statement.

 

In addition to paying for public transportation in Greater Taipei, the EasyWallet app can be used to make payments at many retailers, including the four major convenience store chains in Taiwan, restaurants and electronics shops, as well as for online purchases.

 

 

 

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Posted on

ELECTIONS 2022/Not just kissing babies: Taipei mayor candidates lay out pet platforms

With less than two months left until Taiwan’s Nov. 26 local elections, two of the hotly-contested Taipei mayoral race’s three main candidates have released policy proposals aimed at wooing the city’s pet owners.

 

In a speech last week, Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) nodded to the importance of this emergent voter bloc, noting that there are now over 218,000 registered pets in Taipei, or one for almost every four of the city’s 1.04 million registered households.

 

Chiang’s pitch to this group, meanwhile, included a pledge to work with the private sector to launch “standard form contracts” for pet health insurance policies and to create a city government team to investigate claims of abuse against animals other than cats and dogs.

 

In terms of accessing public transport, he said he hoped to expand on the city’s pet-friendly bus initiative, and launch a trial program offering designated “pet carriages” during off-peak hours on the Taipei MRT.

 

Chiang, a two-term legislator, also proposed establishing guidelines to guarantee sufficient living space and quality of care at shelters run by Taipei’s Animal Protection Office.

 

Aside from improving shelter conditions, Taipei should also diversify its options for pet adoption, such as by allowing people to foster animals, or encouraging programs for campus, workplace or emotional support dogs, he said.

Meanwhile, Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has also announced several pet-related proposals, including, most eye-catchingly, a plan to open Taiwan’s first “pet amusement park” in Taipei by the end of his first term.

 

On a more modest scale, the former health minister also said he wanted to improve the quality of the city’s 19 dog parks, ensuring that each of them has drinking water available to dogs and access to shady spaces for their owners.

 

Other planks of Chen’s platform, which he released in a Facebook post on Monday, include building a “long-term care system” for older pets and launching courses to educate people on the responsibilities of pet ownership.

 

Former Taipei Deputy Mayor Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊), who is running as an independent, has yet to put forward a pet platform, though she recently hit out at Chen’s habit of bringing his Shiba Inu to campaign events.

 

“Pets are like family. There’s no need to use them as electoral props,” she said.

 

 

 

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Posted on

ELECTIONS 2022/DPP northern mayoral candidates tout ‘capital co-living sphere’

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) mayoral candidates for four major northern cities came together at a campaign event in New Taipei on Thursday to outline their platforms, vowing to create a “capital co-living sphere” to move Taiwan forward.

 

Former Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who is running for Taipei mayor, said before he could deliver on his campaign promise to “help Taiwan prosper,” he wanted to first help Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, and Keelung prosper.

 

To achieve that aim, he would create a “2050 vision planning committee” that would meet regularly and be presided over by the mayors of the four cities to set out goals that the cities hope to achieve by 2050, Chen said.

 

He would establish a dedicated agency to form and execute plans to work toward those goals, and hold forums to ensure sufficient communication with the public while pushing policies, he said.

 

Some of the key areas his administration would focus on include transportation, the promotion of “green” and “smart” transportation, river remediation and flood prevention, and strengthening cross-industry collaborations, he said.

Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應), the party’s Keelung mayoral candidate, said just as Taoyuan has the Airport MRT, Keelung should also have a “seaport MRT,” the creation of which would propel the “capital co-living sphere” into the ranks of first-rate metropolises worldwide.

 

The “capital co-living sphere,” a term that dates back to at least 2016, refers to a concept of Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung and Taoyuan being governed like one single metropolis.

 

Furthermore, if elected, he would seek to extend the clusters of technology firms in Taipei’s Neihu and Nangang districts to New Taipei’s Xizhi district and further to Keelung.

 

In addition, he would introduce plans to broaden National Highway No. 1 to alleviate traffic congestion between Taipei and Keelung.

Former Transportation Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), the party’s mayoral candidate for New Taipei, said a special budget must be planned to streamline development and eliminate differences between Taipei and New Taipei, whose mayors, he said, have often clashed.

 

This would bolster the capital co-living sphere, thereby leveraging development for all of Taiwan, he said.

 

Legislator Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬), who is vying for the Taoyuan mayoralty, said if elected, he hoped to work with Keelung to boost logistics between Taoyuan International Airport and Keelung Port, with New Taipei to address transportation and education problems, and with Taipei to improve the quality of living for their growing number of senior citizens.

 

The four candidates later rode electric bikes in Huazhong Riverside Park to promote their policy of establishing a shared e-bike system as part of planned efforts to popularize green and smart transportation.

 

 

 

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Posted on

Stromasys Legacy Hardware Emulation is Now Available in a New AWS Middle East (UAE) Region

Featured Image for Stromasys

Featured Image for Stromasys

GENEVA, Oct. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Stromasys, an industry-leading legacy server emulation company, announced today the availability of its Charon server emulation solutions for customers using the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Middle East (UAE) Region, which will support the acceleration of innovation and digital transformation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The new AWS Middle East (UAE) Region consists of three Availability Zones (AZs) and becomes AWS’s second region in the Middle East, with the existing AWS Region in Bahrain, which launched in 2019. The new AWS Region gives organizations even greater choice for running their applications and serving end users from data centers located in the UAE, using advanced AWS technologies to drive innovation.

“This expansion into the Middle East provides even more choice for customers,” said Myriam Khan, Head of Sales for Stromasys in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. “With our proven solution and AWS’s commitment to customers in the UAE, customers will be able to significantly accelerate their cloud migration strategies.”

Stromasys recently achieved AWS Migration and Modernization Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Competency status for AWS Partners. This designation recognizes that Stromasys has demonstrated technical proficiency and proven customer success, automating and accelerating customer application migration and modernization journeys.

“Customers want migration and modernization solutions that remove obstacles and preserve the applications that are critical to their organizations,” said John Prot, CEO of Stromasys, “With Charon in AWS Marketplace, we make it easy for customers to virtualize and preserve their applications in the cloud without changes.”

For organizations struggling with compatibility challenges between mission-critical applications and modern cloud computing, Stromasys provides the most efficient solution to modernize and preserve applications. Charon legacy hardware emulation seamlessly virtualizes the respective legacy host system in the cloud with proven performance to quickly eliminate the time and costs associated with managing hardware or rewriting software. Stromasys makes it possible to lift and shift customers’ mission-critical applications to the cloud and leave customers’ legacy hardware behind.

AWS Regions are composed of Availability Zones that place infrastructure in separate and distinct geographic locations. Availability Zones are located far enough from each other to support customers’ business continuity but near enough to provide low latency for high availability applications that use multiple Availability Zones. Each Availability Zone has independent power, cooling, and physical security and is connected through redundant, ultra-low latency networks. AWS customers focused on high availability can design their applications to run in multiple Availability Zones to achieve even greater fault tolerance. The launch of the AWS Middle East (UAE) Region enables local customers with data residency requirements to store data securely in the UAE but also provides customers with even lower latency across the country.

About Stromasys

Stromasys is the original and leading provider of enterprise-class, cross-platform virtualization solutions for PDP-11, Digital VAX and Alpha, PA-RISC, and SPARC servers. The company extends the lifecycle of business and mission-critical applications through virtualization, modernization, and system enhancement.

Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and in Raleigh, North Carolina, with sales offices as well as engineering, development, and research labs located around the world, Stromasys has implemented cross-platform virtualization solutions for the world’s leading companies in over 70 countries.

For more information, visit: https://www.stromasys.com.

Contact Information:
John Gutknecht
Chief Marketing Officer
john.gutknecht@stromasys.com
+1-717-914-7644

Related Images

Image 1

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment

Posted on

Shorooq Partners’ Gametech Program Aims to Grow 100 Gametech Startups With the Launch of Its 2nd Cohort

The 300-plus Hour Virtual Program Led by Global Leading Subject Matter Experts Is Designed to Help Gametech Founders Secure Seed Investments

SHFT Build Gametech Program Cohort 2

SHFT Build Gametech Program Cohort 2

ABU DHABI, Arab Emirates, Oct. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Shorooq Partners, the leading technology investor in the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan, is pleased to announce the launch of the second cohort of its Gametech Program, SHFT Build, after the success of the inaugural cohort. The virtual program, set to kick off on Oct. 24, features industry leaders and subject matter experts who will coach founders and game developers on how to build game tech investment-ready startups.

To enrich the comprehensive learning experience, SHFT Build Gametech partners up with 12 new global partners such as Razer, Godot Engine, The Game Fund, and others, along with the program’s leading partners Amazon Web Services, Tamatem Games, Batal Gaming, and Invest Game, to name a few. This cohort is also supported by strategic ecosystem partners such as Sharjah Media City (Shams), TwoFour54, and AD Gaming.

Participants in the 300-plus hour experience receive access to more than 40 global industry experts through one-to-one mentorship and group sessions. In addition, once accepted into the program, participants are provided with more than $250,000 worth of in-kind perks and benefits such as AWS Cloud Credits, subsidized software subscriptions, business setup, publishing, and retail distribution support. They also get to join an exclusive Discord community connecting them to hundreds of like-minded founders from across the globe.

“As value investors, we have always been committed to being founders’ partners and developing ecosystems around industries that we believe will be shaping tomorrow’s economy,” says Mahmoud Adi, Shorooq Partners’ Founding Partner. “SHFT Build enables us to provide support, guidance, and know-how for founders in their earliest stages – accelerating their growth at zero cost and equity free. We are here to support governments and corporations across the world and specifically the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, and Türkiye to build the Gametech sector and attract successful companies into the region and help them expand,” added Tarek Fouad, Shorooq Partners’ Head of Growth.

Upon completion of the program, founders are shortlisted to pitch at the SHFT Build Gametech Demo Day, which is attended by more than 100,000 viewers online and features global investors looking to connect and partner up with startups in the gaming industry. The inaugural cohort, which took place in April 2022, featured 68 founders from 14 different countries, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Egypt, Canada, United States of America. Founders spent more than eight weeks working with Shorooq Partners SHFT Build team and leading subject matter experts before pitching their offerings to 160 investors, partners across the globe in its sought-for demo day.

SHFT Build Gametech invites founders in game development, game engine creators, publishers, Web3 and blockchain gaming, as well as streaming and esports platforms at idea, MVP, Pre-Seed, and Seed stages to apply to its second cohort.

Visit shft.shorooq.com to apply before the deadline on Oct. 20, 2022.

About Shorooq Partners

Founded in 2017, Shorooq Partners is the leading early-stage venture capital firm investing in the most innovative startups across MENAP. Shorooq Partners has backed market-leading disruptors, including Pure Harvest Smart Farms, Sarwa, NymCard, Lean Technologies, TruKKer, and Retailo. Shorooq Partners is headquartered in Abu Dhabi and has six offices across the MENAP region.

Shorooq Partners refers to a group of companies that are affiliates of each other and which operate under this business name, of which Shorooq Partners Ltd (regulated by the ADGM Financial Services Regulatory Authority FSRA Registration No 190004 ) is a member.

For media inquiries and further information, contact: 

SHFT Build Gametech Program

Email: shft@shorooq.com

Website: shft.shorooq.com

Contact Information:
Tarek Fouad
Head of Growth
tfouad@shorooq.com
971503129989

Related Images

Image 1: SHFT Build Gametech Program Cohort 2

Founders globally in the gaming and esports industry are invite to apply before 20th October 2022

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment

Posted on

FOWPAL’s Peace Bell Rings in New York During UNGA77

FOWPAL’s President Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze Honored for Promoting Love and Peace

Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze Honored by NYC Mayor for Promoting the UN Goals

Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, president of FOWPAL, is honored by New York City Mayor with a citation. From left, Harlem Globetrotter Robert Richard, New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda, Dr. Hong, and Johnny Ford, president of the World Conference of Mayors. (AP Images)

NEW YORK, Oct. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — During the High-Level Week (Sept.19-23) of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the delegation of the Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL) organized ceremonies of ringing the Bell of World Peace and Love, FOWPAL Gathering 2022, and the World Leader Summit of Love and Peace in New York, as well as had dialogue with influential leaders, such as a member of Qatar’s Royal Family, the spouse of the prime minister of Malta, the first lady of Zambia, and others.

On September 20, FOWPAL hosted a bell ringing ceremony, where Eritrea’s Ambassador to the UN Sophia Tesfamariam Yohannes rang the bell and made a wish for peace. On September 21, the International Day of Peace, FOWPAL held bell ringing ceremonies in Times Square, where Paul Sladkus, founder and president of the Good News Corporation, rang the bell and prayed for the world and Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, president of FOWPAL, rang the bell nine times and made three wishes: The first was for everyone to follow their conscience and do good deeds. The second was for all living creatures to live in safety and peace, and the third was for global peace and sustainability.

On the morning of September 23, Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze and Leonel Fernández, former President of the Dominican Republic, had a joyful reunion, where Dr. Hong presented President Fernández with FOWPAL’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his promotion of world peace. President Fernández attended FOWPAL’s world leader summit and rang the Bell of World Peace and Love in 2005, and he carried out the wish he made when ringing the bell by successfully defusing a potential war among Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia in 2008, saving millions from the scourge of war.

On the afternoon and evening of September 23, FOWPAL, Permanent Mission of Kiribati to the UN, International Federation for Peace and Sustainable Development, African Women Working Group at the UN, Marmara Group Foundation, Foundation for a Drug-Free World Americas Chapter, and COJEP International co-organized the World Leader Summit of Love and Peace and the ceremony of ringing the Bell of World Peace and Love, where President of Kiribati Taneti Maamau delivered a speech, and 13 leaders in various fields rang the Bell and made wishes for peace. Over 100 people from 27 nations attended the event.

Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, president of FOWPAL, delivered welcome remarks, emphasizing that only by taking concrete actions of conscience to support reconstruction and recovery can humanity prevent or mitigate future crises and benefit the earth and all humanity. He stated, “Conscience is the foundation of human beings and the cornerstone of global stability and sustainability. Conscience guides us to tell true from false, right from wrong, and good from bad, as well as helps us establish priorities. Persistence brings strength. We need to strive for a better tomorrow. That is the way forward and will lead to a hopeful future.”

President of Kiribati Taneti Maamau and Amb. Teburoro Tito, former president of Kiribati and current permanent representative of Kiribati to the UN, both attended the Summit. Ambassador Tito expressed his gratitude to FOWPAL for working closely with his Mission to the UN over the years and introduced his president.

President Maamau rang the Bell of World Peace and Love in 2016 and delivered a keynote speech at FOWPAL’s World Leader Summit of Love and Peace in 2017. Kiribati also worked with FOWPAL and various Permanent Missions to the UN on a draft resolution titled “Promoting the Culture of Peace with Love and Conscience,” making the UN’s designation of April 5 as the International Day of Conscience possible. In recognition of President Maamau’s promotion of world peace, Dr. Hong presented FOWPAL’s Lifetime Achievement Award to him at the 2022 Summit.

President Maamau delivered a keynote speech at the summit, emphasizing, “While we are proud to learn that the promotion of International Day of Conscience is sustaining momentum around the world, let us also ponder on how can we create and inspire a sustainable world built on conscience. It is imperative to ask this question: How are we willing to apply our conscience to promote a culture of peace and global prosperity?”

Thirteen leaders rang the Bell of World Peace and Love, including Fatima Maada Bio, First Lady of Sierra Leone; Victoria Irabor, president of Defense and Police Officers Wives Association, Nigeria; Dr. Ada Okika, UN Coordinator of African Women Working Group at the UN; Dr. Monica Sanchez, culture ambassador and founder of Miss Caricom International Foundation; Ambassador Dr. Denis Atchade Assongba, president of the Beninese Alliance of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut; Ralph Kader, head of Information Technology at United Nations; Dr. Agorom C. Dike, president and founder of the Caribbean and African Faith-Based Leadership Conference; Johnny Ford, founder and president of the World Conference of Mayors and Historic Black Towns and Settlements Alliance; Anthony Miranda, New York City Sheriff; Dr. Binod Verma, former president of New York State Academy of General Dentistry; Dr. Charles Olawole, president of the Pan African Unity Summit Group; Harlem Globetrotter Robert Richard, founder and executive director of Empowerment; and John L. German, main representative to the United Nations, Centre for International Peacebuilding.

Fatima Maada Bio, First Lady of Sierra Leone, wished for a more just and united world where everyone lives in peace. New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda wished for safety, good health, and peace for everyone. Dr. Monica Sanchez stated, “I hope that all people can learn to respect and love each other so we can create a peaceful world.” Johnny Ford said, “To let peace and love ring around the world so that we will have no more war. . . . A world of peace and love forever.” Ralph Kader stated, “I wish peace will prevail over the world with peace and love.”

To date, 445 influential leaders from 128 countries, including 49 heads of state and government, seven Nobel Peace Prize laureates, UN ambassadors, and other visionaries, have rung the bell and made their wishes for peace. Through the solemn and sacred bell ringing ceremonies, the bell ringers spread their sincere wishes for peace. The consolidated positive energy has served as a powerful driving force for the collective actions of bell ringers and global citizens to foster world peace.

In the capacity of the president of the World Conference of Mayors, Johnny Ford proclaimed the evening of September 23, 2022 as Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze Night. On behalf of the mayor of New York, Johnny Ford and Harlem Globetrotter Robert Richard jointly presented a citation from New York City Mayor Eric Adams to honor Dr. Hong for promoting the UN goals.

The citation states, “Today’s summit serves as a reminder for us all to work towards a better tomorrow, and it also provides an opportunity to commend FOWPAL’s president, Dr. Tao-Tze Hong for his commitment to uphold the values of peace and love shared by people in the five boroughs and far beyond. I look forward to the many years Dr. Hong and every gathered will continue to foster positive change as we unite to #GetStuffDone and rebuild, renew, and reinvent our global city. Now therefore, I, Eric Adams, Mayor of the City of New York, on Friday, September 23rd, 2022, do hereby confer this citation on: Dr. Tao-Tze Hong.”

At the summit, the Foundation for a Drug-Free World Americas Chapter and COJEP International presented the Global Humanitarian Leadership Award to Dr. Hong in recognition of his advocacy of love and peace around the world. The night before, Dr. Bernard Fialkoff, president of the Foundation for a Drug Free World, The Americas Chapter, and Hugues Sanon, UN representative of COJEP International, on behalf of their organizations, jointly presented to Dr. Hong “The Key of Love, Peace, and Conscience” and the Global Humanitarian Leadership Award, the highest honor granted by the two organizations.

Many prominent figures delivered speeches at the summit, including Jonathan Granoff, president of Global Security Institute; Sally Kader, president of the International Federation for Peace and Sustainable Development; Dr. Ada Okika, UN coordinator of African Women Working Group at the UN; Sezgin Bilgiç, vice president of the Marmara Group Foundation; Oğuzhan Ceylan, executive board member of the Marmara Group Foundation; Fatima Maada Bio, First Lady of Sierra Leone; Victoria Irabor, president of Defense and Police Officers Wives Association, Nigeria; Ambassador Dr. Denis Atchade Assongba, president of the Beninese Alliance of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut; Dr. Bernard Fialkoff, president of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, The Americas Chapter; Ali Gedikoglu, president of COJEP International; Hugues Sanon, UN representative of COJEP International; Dr. Agorom C. Dike, president and founder of the Caribbean and African Faith-Based Leadership Conference; Johnny Ford, founder and president of the World Conference of Mayors and Historic Black Towns and Settlements Alliance; Dr. Binod Verma, former president of New York State Academy of General Dentistry; Harlem Globetrotter Robert Richard, founder and executive director of Empowerment; and Licypriya Kangujam, a child environmental activist from India.

The summit also featured a multicultural feast, including a fashion show, recital performance, and more. FOWPAL members presented martial arts performances, dances and singing to convey their kind wishes for everyone. Through an elegant Celestial Peacock Dance, FOWPAL encouraged people to spread positivity and make the world a better place as according to legend, the celestial peacock digests poisons and exhales fragrance. Its elegant Royal Fan Dance, which culminates with a heart-shaped formation, symbolizes that the heart is the root of everything and that conscience is the key to solidarity and transformation for sustainability. Its demonstration of martial arts embodied the purpose of martial arts, which is to prevent war and advance morality. FOWPAL also presented several songs, including “A Prayer for Peace” and “We Can Change the World” to pray for the world.

FOWPAL encourages everyone to endorse meaningful declarations, taking action to support love, peace, and conscience. To date, the Declarations for Human Rights of World Citizens and Peace have been endorsed by over 3.7 million people in 200 nations, and the Declaration for the Movement of An Era of Conscience and the Declaration of International Day of Conscience have been endorsed by over 340,000 people in 200 nations. FOWPAL hopes that everyone will act with conscience so that the world will be peaceful, and that everyone will be joyful so that every family will be happy.

About the Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL): Established in 2000 in the United States by Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, FOWPAL is an international love and peace organization, with members from around the world. Over the past two decades, FOWPAL has promoted conscience, love, and peace globally. It had worked with various Permanent Missions to the UN through conferences, bell ringing ceremonies, and declaration signing, and was instrumental in the UN’s adoption of the International Day of Conscience in July 2019. It has held nearly 70 webinars in the past two years, fostering conscience-based sustainability.

Media Contact:
Lily Chen
Representative
info@fowpal.org
626-202-5268
www.fowpal.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/37121c93-957a-46e8-9ff0-d8f27c95da01

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.

Posted on

Global Health and Gavi Veteran Anuradha Gupta to Lead Global Immunization at Sabin

Former Gavi deputy CEO Anuradha Gupta joins Sabin Vaccine Institute

Global health veteran Anuradha Gupta is Sabin Vaccine Institute’s new Global Immunization President

WASHINGTON, Oct. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Veteran public health leader Anuradha Gupta, who has spearheaded a host of successful global initiatives to improve the health of women and children and boost vaccine access and uptake, has joined Sabin Vaccine Institute as President of Global Immunization. Gupta’s record of crafting and implementing creative solutions to seemingly intractable health challenges is particularly significant now with life-saving childhood immunizations sustaining their largest backslide in decades, fueled largely by the pandemic.

Gupta comes to Sabin after eight years with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, where she served as Deputy CEO and led efforts to center policies, programs and partnerships around vaccine equity, gender and communities. She also pioneered the concept of zero-dose children – those who have not received a single dose of the most basic vaccines – and drove efforts to create a new model of country-level partnerships.

“Anuradha Gupta is a stellar addition to Sabin’s executive management team at a time when vaccine access and equity, as well as misinformation, remain enormous challenges worldwide,” said Sabin CEO Amy Finan. “Anuradha’s visionary approach, expertise, and deep commitment to those we serve will help move the needle for global vaccination rates.”

Gupta said she’s excited for her role and will use her extensive experience to advance innovative approaches to improve vaccine access and uptake. “This is a watershed moment for immunization, and we must ensure that vaccines remain front and center on the global public health agenda,” said Gupta. “There’s still so much to be done to introduce, scale up and universalize the full range of vaccines, and Sabin will be a powerful catalyst for this critically important work.”

A recent United Nations report noted that in 2021, 25 million babies missed out on one or more doses of routine vaccinations for diseases such as measles, diphtheria, and whooping cough. Nearly 18 million of those children, many in low-income countries, were zero-dose, making them more vulnerable to deadly and debilitating infectious diseases, and also, spurring fears of diseases such as polio and measles reemerging in non-endemic countries.

“Fighting and finishing polio in India with an oral vaccine developed by Dr. Sabin is an unforgettable part of my public health journey,” Gupta recalls. “So, I am delighted to join an institution that is dedicated to advancing Dr. Sabin’s legacy by harnessing the full power of vaccines to save lives.”

Under Gupta’s leadership, Gavi won many accolades and rolled out a new framework for partner engagement that has helped bolster country ownership of Gavi-supported programs and improved accountability for results. Those achievements contributed to Gavi receiving the prestigious Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award in 2019 for providing sustained access to childhood vaccines in the world’s poorest countries.

“Her willingness to expand the tent to include global players from various sectors is laudable and has measurably improved outcomes in many of these countries,” said Dr. Regina Rabinovich, MD, MPH, chair of the Sabin Board of Trustees. “Anuradha’s work exemplifies Sabin’s commitment to champion evidence-based solutions for immunization in low and middle-income countries and to build partnerships delivering lasting impact in these places.”

Gupta’s most recent initiative to focus on children who have not received a single shot is audacious for its ambition and scope. She was the guiding force behind Gavi’s $500 million Equity Accelerator Fund which includes an innovative program aimed at reaching zero-dose children in conflict zones and drought-afflicted areas in the Sahel region and the Horn of Africa.

Gupta pointed out that children who had been deprived of a single shot accounted for half of vaccine-preventable deaths and that targeting this population could be a game changer for reducing disease outbreaks and improving overall health security.

“These children live in communities that often face multiple deprivations so we must find a way to connect them to their first shot otherwise they miss their shot at a healthy future,” she said. “The Zero Dose Immunization concept goes beyond routine vaccines to connect families to other critical health care and humanitarian services, in consultation with communities, governments and other key groups.”

Prior to Gavi, Gupta served as Mission Director of the National Health Mission of India where she played a leading role in India’s efforts to eradicate polio, reduce maternal and child mortality, bring down fertility rates and revitalize primary health care. She served as a member of the Steering Committee for Child Survival Call to Action, co-chaired the Stakeholder Group for the 2012 London Summit on Family Planning and was a member of the Family Planning 2020 Reference Group.

Gupta holds an MBA from the University of Wollongong in Australia and received executive education from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Stanford Graduate School of Business and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. In 2015, she was named one of “300 Women Leaders in Global Health” by the Global Health Centre of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. She was profiled among the ten most influential women IAS officers in a recently released book – the Indian Administrative Services or IAS as it’s commonly called is India’s preeminent civil service.

In 2021, Gupta received the University of Wollongong’s Alumni Award for Social Impact. She was also conferred the highest civilian award for public service by the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Cross of Labour by the President of Laos for contributions to the health of the people in that country. In September 2022, she was awarded the Advance Global Australian Award, in recognition of the global impact of her many accomplishments.

About the Sabin Vaccine Institute

The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a leading advocate for expanding vaccine access and uptake globally, advancing vaccine research and development, and amplifying vaccine knowledge and innovation. Unlocking the potential of vaccines through partnership, Sabin has built a robust ecosystem of funders, innovators, implementers, practitioners, policy makers and public stakeholders to advance its vision of a future free from preventable diseases. As a non-profit with more than two decades of experience, Sabin is committed to finding solutions that last and extending the full benefits of vaccines to all people, regardless of who they are or where they live. At Sabin, we believe in the power of vaccines to change the world.

For more information, visit http://www.sabin.org and follow us on Twitter @SabinVaccine.

Media contact:

Rajee Suri
rajee.suri@sabin.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a2bfd118-42e2-4ff5-b2c1-92fd13e316cf

Posted on

The Metals Company Appoints Andrew C. Greig as Board Director and Sheila Khama to Audit Committee

  • Andrew C. ( Andy) Greig brings extensive leadership experience spearheading major international construction projects following a 35-year career at Bechtel Group and replaces outgoing Director Gina Stryker on the TMC Board
  • TMC board member Sheila Khama will step onto the Company’s Audit Committee

NEW YORK, Oct. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Metals Company (NASDAQ: TMC) (the “Company” or “TMC”), an explorer of lower-impact battery metals from seafloor polymetallic nodules, today announced that Andy Greig has been appointed to its Board of Directors.

Andy joined the Board as a director on September 29, 2022 and replaces outgoing director Gina Stryker. Andy brings extensive experience working on international construction projects in the mining sector during a 35-year career at leading engineering, procurement and construction company, Bechtel Group. Andy’s career at Bechtel included 13 years as President of the Mining and Metals global business unit with 55,000 employees and over $7 billion in annual revenue, where he was responsible for strategy, planning, execution and project delivery. Andy was elected to the Bechtel Group Board of Directors in 2011. Andy was previously a board member of DeepGreen Metals Inc., the company that merged to form TMC the metals company Inc.

The Company also announced that the current Chair of its Sustainability & Innovation Committee and Independent Director, Sheila Khama, will join its Audit Committee. A leading expert on extractive industry corporate governance, Sheila has held C-suite level positions at various natural resources companies, including as a former CEO of De Beers, Botswana and Compliance Officer for Anglo American.

Gerard Barron, Chairman & CEO of The Metals Company, said: “Andy’s extensive leadership experience at Bechtel and track record of ensuring the delivery of pioneering infrastructure projects — on time and on budget — is the right skillset for TMC’s Board at this exciting time in our trajectory.”

He added, “We’re fortunate that Sheila Khama has agreed to bring her considerable talents to TMC’s audit committee, and I’d like to thank Gina Stryker for her excellent service and contributions to the Board and to the Company.”

About The Metals Company

TMC the metals company Inc. (The Metals Company) is an explorer of lower-impact battery metals from seafloor polymetallic nodules, on a dual mission: (1) supply metals for the clean energy transition with the least possible negative environmental and social impact and (2) accelerate the transition to a circular metal economy. The company through its subsidiaries holds exploration rights to three polymetallic nodule contract areas in the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean regulated by the International Seabed Authority and sponsored by the governments of Nauru, Kiribati and the Kingdom of Tonga. More information is available at www.metals.co.

More Info

Media | media@metals.co
Investors | investors@metals.co

Proudly powered by WordPress